[Acoustic Guitar Chords]> How to Play the F Chord (Plus 3 Tricks to Make It Easier)
Here’s the thing about the F chord – it’s hard to play.
In fact, the F chord is so hard to play that many beginner guitar players avoid it entirely.
I’ve taught thousands of guitar lessons in my life, and I can’t count how many times a student asked if we could just skip the F chord. While they thought theguitar was fairly easy to learn, the F chord gave them something to think about.
But the painful truth is that every beginner guitar player needs to learn the F chord. It’s used in everything from rock to pop toblues shuffles.
In this lesson, I’m going to show you:
- How to warm up
- How to play the F chord
- Easier F chord variations
So let’s dive in!
Originally published on September 18, 2019, this article was republished on January 23, 2024.
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How to Warm Up for the F Chord
As you start the exercise, think of your index finger as a button as you apply pressure and then release pressure.
How to play the F chord: A warm-up exercise:
- Barre your index finger across all six strings.
- Apply downward pressure on the low E string. Then, pluck that string.
- Without moving your index finger, apply pressure again, focusing specifically on the A string. Then, pluck the A string.
- Again, don’t move your index finger. Rather, keep it focused on staying on the first fret.
- Continue fretting each string and plucking them one at a time.
By performing this exercise, you’re going to get a feel of how much pressure is needed to actually barre across all six strings.
To continue with the exercise, move up the neck of the guitar one fret at a time.
As you move forward, you might notice that it gets increasingly harder to barre across all six strings.
That’s because the tension on the strings decreases as you move up the neck.
After performing this exercise a few times, you should be feeling more comfortable and confident with your index finger.
Now that you’re warmed up let’s move on to the basic F chord shapes!
How to Play the F Chord on Guitar
To play the F chord on guitar, place your index finger over all of the strings on the 1st fret. Next, place your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string. Finally, place your ring finger and pinky on the 3rd fret of the 4th and 5th strings – and you’re ready!
As you learn the F chord, the key is not to get frustrated and to remember to manage your tension (check out my first 4 guitar technique check-ins here).
The other thing to keep in mind is perspective.
Remember how difficult it was learning the G chord or D chord?
The F chord will be just as difficult, but you have the added advantage of perspective, ie. you know it takes practice to learn chords, and, eventually, you can learn the F chord.
The first F chord I’ll show you is the most standard – but also the hardest – F chord shape (I’ll get to easier shapes later, I promise!).
This F chord shape takes a good amount of finger strength because you can’t rely on any open strings.
Now, you might be asking yourself what that barre across the 1st fret is. Don’t worry! That barre represents what your first finger is going to do.
You see, in a barre chord (such as the F chord), you use your index finger to fret across multiple strings.
In the case of the F chord, you’ll need to barre all of the strings on the first fret. The barring aspect of the F chord is usually where guitar players have trouble — go back to the warm-up if you’re having trouble!
Additionally, make sure that you are playing on the tips of your fingers (except for the barring index finger). Keep an arch in your fretting fingers to ensure that you play with the tips of your fingers for the F chord.
If you’re having trouble barring across the first fret, there are a variety of things you can do to make it a little easier.
Easier F Chord Variations (With No Barring)
As you try playing this chord, you may notice that it has some different qualities than the first F chord I showed you.
One of the biggest differences is that the lowest note is a C, rather than an F.
As a result, this easier version of the F chord starts on the fifth scale degree of F, rather than starting on F itself.
Some people like having the root of the chord in the bass note, but if you can’t barre across, this F chord variation is a great solution.
If you are looking for a version of the F chord that is even easier than the one above, look no further than this variation:
The difference between the first easy F chord variation and this one lies in the omission of the A string.
Instead of having a C bass note, we’re using the F note on the 3rd fret of the D string.
With this F chord, there are fewer bass notes built into the chord, so it sounds lighter.
Some guitar players may not mind that, while others will really miss those bass notes.
The tricky thing about this F chord variation is muting both the low E and A strings.
You can use the pad of your ring finger to mute the A string, but this can be a challenging technique for beginner guitar players.
If you’re having trouble muting the low E and A strings, you can focus on starting your strum on the D string or muting the A string with your ring finger.
F Chord Trouble Spots
I understand that executing the F chord can be tricky – here are several different places where you might get stuck.
Let’s take a look at each of them in detail:
1. Memory and Muscle Memory Problems
Many of my students worry that they take too long to form the F chord.
Fortunately, I have a super-simple exercise that can help develop muscle memory. It involves just enough pressure to help your muscles move into the F chord position quickly.
I’ve talked about thequick draw exercise in my other chord lessons, but I’ll explain it here again:
- Start by placing your fretting hand on your thigh or anywhere away from the fretboard.
- Slowly, countdown from five.
- In those five seconds, move your fretting hand to the fretboard and form the F chord.
- If you’re having trouble getting there in five seconds, don’t be afraid to change the time interval to seven or even 10 seconds.
I know the quick draw exercise seems simple, but it totally works.
Because there is built-in time pressure, your fingers need to move efficiently to get to the F chord shape.
As you feel more comfortable with the quick draw exercise, you can decrease the time interval to four-, three-, or two-second intervals.
Ideally, you’ll be building the muscle memory needed to play the F chord efficiently.
2. Finger Strength Issues
As I said earlier, it takes a lot of finger strength to play the F chord.
You might be tempted to get a hand-strengthening machine, but DO NOT GET ONE!
A more effective way to build strength in your fingers is to practice every day, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day.
I wrote about howdaily, 10-minute practice sessions can transform your playing, so be sure to check that article out!
Don’t forget to practice the F chord shape higher up on the neck, like at the 5th or 7th fret.
The tension in these areas of the fretboard is lower, which makes barring across the fretboard easier.
3. The Buzzing B String
When you play the F chord and you notice buzzing from your B string, that either means you don’t have enough arch in your middle finger or your index finger isn’t applying enough pressure for the barre chord.
Let me break it down…
Having an arch in your fingers is crucial. It prevents injury to the joints while also having you play on the tips of your fingers.
If you play with the meaty pads of your fingers, you’ll end up muting other strings adjacent to the one you’re trying to fret.
As far as the finger strength for barring goes, it just takes time and practice. Again, I want to emphasize how important playing every day for 10 minutes a day is.
This is a great way to build the habit of practicing guitar while making progress in your guitar journey.
Make Even More Progress in Your Guitar Journey
Earlier, I mentioned something calledTony’s Acoustic Challenge. Now, you might be wondering what that has to do with learning the F chord.
Well, Tony’s Acoustic Challenge is an online workshop designed to help guitar players achieve their goals — including playing the F chord!
There are daily practice exercises and lesson modules on everything from acoustic blues to banjo-picking patterns for the guitar.
Additionally, there’s a robust community of guitar geeks ready to troubleshoot and share their acoustic journey progress.
Watch the FREE guitar class to learn the three things that will help build a life of consistent guitar playing in just 10 minutes a day.
