The F Chord

The F chord is probably the biggest roadblock on many begginner guitar player’s journey. I can still remember the days of the ringing B string, and the sore side of my finger. It may have taken me a month or so, but I got there, and after this article you will to! 

If you have an acoustic and electric guitar available I suggest starting with the electric guitar, so go on and get your guitar ready and let’s start this thing!

This is a major chord, and the notes are. FCFACF

Here is a sneak peak of what you’ll be hearing in the future^. Use it as a reference!

Tips To Playing the F Chord:

Tip 1, Practice Further Up The Neck

This tip is straightforward Practice, instead of barring the first fret, bar the fifth one. The string action will be less the farther down you go, and it will be easier to press in the F-shape. So start out further up the neck, just know that the frets get closer together the higher up you go, so don’t go toooo far.

Tip 2, Position your Hand and Thumb Properly

I photoshopped my hand behind flames, in the correct position

Now we are going to be talking torque. You want:

1. Your elbow at your side
2. Your thumb behind the middle of the neck
3. Your fingers slightly angled
4. The index finger (the one barring the first fret) should be sideways, and I put the middle-joint of the finger over the B and E string (last two strings)
5. You should feel like you are squeezing the neck between your thumb and your index finger 

Tip 3, Cheat F Chords

Baby F is your friend

If you can’t bear to barre, just use these chords while you build yourself up to the Full F. But let me be clear, you still need to learn the major chord barre positioning, as it is very commonly used and has a slightly different sound. So keep practicing!