More of this Feature • Part 1: overview • Part 2: notes on the neck • Part 3: power chords • Part 5: strumming pattern • Part 6: learning songs • Part 7: practice schedule

Related Content • Index of Guitar Lessons • Buying Your First Guitar • How to Read Guitar Tab • Easy to Play Songs • Guitar Chord Library

The F major shape

In case you're having trouble remembering how to play the chord, let's go over it again. Your third finger plays the third fret on the fourth string. Your second finger plays the second fret on the third string. And, your first finger plays the first fret on both the second and first strings. Make sure when you strum the chord that you're not playing the sixth and fifth strings.
Many guitarists find that slightly rolling the first finger back (towards the headstock of the guitar) makes playing the chord slightly easier. If, after you've done this, the chord still doesn't sound properly, play each string, one by one, and identify what the problem string(s) are. Keep practicing this chord - play it every day, and don't give up. It won't take long for the Fmajor chord to start sounding just as good as the rest of your chords do.

Songs that use F major

There are, of course, thousands of songs that use an F major chord, but for practicing purposes, here are just a few. They may take some work to master, but you should have them sounding good with some solid practice. If have forgotten some of the other chords we've learned, you can check the chord archive.

Mother - performed by Pink Floyd
NOTES: this is a good acoustic song to start with, because there aren't many chords, the changes are slow, and F major only occurs a couple of times.

Kiss Me - performed by Sixpence None the Richer
NOTES: the strum for this song is tricky (we'll leave it alone for a while... for now, play quick downstrums 8x per chord, only 4x for the chorus). There are a few chords we might not have covered yet, but they should be explained at the bottom of the page. Not many F major chords... just enough to keep you challenged.

Night Moves - performed by Bob Seger
NOTES: just a quick F major in this song, so it might be a difficult tune to play at first. If you know the song well, this one will be much easier to play.

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