F Chord Guitar Finger Position Charts & Lesson

F chord guitar finger position charts, diagrams and photos. This lesson shows you how to play an F major chord on your guitar.

F Chord Guitar Finger Position Diagrams

This page contains several ways of playing an F Chord on guitar. The diagrams show the finger position you should use for each chord shape.

F Barre Chord Shape

The chord shape below is probably the most common way of playing an F chord. If you find this chord difficult, there's a slightly easier version (that doesn't require a barre) further down the page.

F Chord Guitar Finger Position Diagram
F Chord Guitar Finger Position: Barre chord shape

  • The curved line over the top of the diagram represents a barre. The 1st finger is laid over the fretboard to play notes on multiple strings.
  • This chord is played at the first fret.

Barre chords take a bit of getting used to, but once you've mastered them they're just as easy – if not easier – than open position chords. You can find out more about barre chords here: Barre Chords.

Easier Version

If you find the first F chord shape difficult, here's a slightly easier way of playing an F chord on guitar:

F Guitar Chord Easy Version
F Guitar Chord: 'Easy' version finger position.

You can see a photo of this chord being played below.

F Chord Guitar Photo
'Easy' F Chord Guitar Photo

Be careful not to play the bottom two strings! If you accidentally hit the A string it won't sound terrible (F chords contain the note A), but the chord will sound stronger if the bass note is an F.

Either start your strum on the 4th string, or ignore your guitar teacher's advice and use your thumb to mute the bottom strings!

Alternative Ways Of Playing F Major Guitar Chord

The following F guitar chord finger position diagrams show alternative ways of playing an F. Use these shapes if the chord you're moving from (or to) is in a similar fretboard position. This will allow you to finger the F chord with minimal arm movement and fretboard squeak.

F Guitar Chord Shape 2

This shape is based on the open position D shape. Here it is played at the 3rd fret to make an F chord.

F Chord Guitar Finger Position 3rd Fret
F Chord Guitar Finger Position 3rd Fret

F Chord Shape 3

This F chord shape is based on the open position C chord shape.

F Guitar Chord 5th Fret
F Guitar Chord played at the 5th Fret

F Guitar Chord Shape 4

Finally, the F chord shape below is based on the open position 'A' shape. Played with a barre at the 9th position, it becomes an F major chord.

F Chord Guitar 8th Fret
F Chord Guitar 8th Fret

There is an alternative fingering for this chord in which the 3rd finger (the ring finger) forms a barre to play the notes on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings. It is shown below.

F Guitar Chord Alternative Finger Position
F Guitar Chord Alternative Finger Position

F Movable Guitar Chord Shapes

All of the F chord shapes on this page are 'movable' shapes. This means that they can be used to play other major chords.

The root note of each chord is shown as a blue circle. Position this over any note on the fretboard to play the major chord with that root note.

For example, you could play a G major chord by playing any of the F chords on this page 2 frets higher.

Chord shapes such as these are known as ‘movable’ chord shapes.

What is a F Chord? Is a F Chord the same as a F Major Chord?

When you see an F Chord diagram on sheet music, it will mean an F major chord.

You may see other chords that begin with 'F', but which have other symbols after the letter. These aren't F Major Chords, and will require a different chord shape.

Notes In an F Major Chord

F major chords are made up of 3 notes: F, A, and C.

  • These notes can be played in any order in the chord (although they are usually arranged within the chord with an F as the lowest note).
  • The notes can be repeated in different octaves within the chord.

This is why there is always more than one way to play any chord on guitar!

F Chord Guitar Finger Position Conclusion

We hope that you have found this lesson useful, and that you can now play an F major chord on your guitar! Why not learn some more?

Leave a Comment