18 Ways To Play The F Chord On Guitar

Do you have problems learning how to play the F chord on guitar? If so, did you know there 17 other ways you can play it? I'm sure there are more than 18 ways to play the F chord. But in this lesson I'll cover the ones I know of so you can hopefully find one that's easy enough for you to start using now.

The F chord

Most people are familiar playing this F chord shape.

The fingering I use for this chord is: 3rd finger 3rd fret on D string, 2nd finger on 2nd fret G string, 1st finger barring 1st fret of B and E strings. Some people find it difficult to get their first finger to barre the 2nd and 1st strings properly while fretting the other notes. You can easily overcome this problem through practice. For me, the trick is a combination of how I slightly twist my wrist and pinch my thumb on the back of the neck so that my first finger lays slightly on it's side while making the barre.

The Barre chord

The shape above above is actually just a fragment of the big brother F Barre chord shape below. Fingering for the barre chord is: 1st finger lays across the entire fretboard to barre the notes on the first, second and sixth strings at the fret one. The 3rd finger is on the fifth string at fret 3. The 4th finger on the fourth string at fret 3. The 2nd finger is on the third string at fret 2.

More ways to play an F chord

It shouldn't take long to master the F chord shapes above enough to feel comfortable using it. However if you need to play an F chord for a song you are learning, there are other options! Below are 17 variations of the F chord for you to try. I purposely left out any kind of fingering suggestions because I want you to experiment and find what works for you. Exploring the fretboard is part of the learning process. Pick a shape that is easy for you to play and substitute it in songs where you need it. Practice the shapes you think are hard too, even if you don't use them. Your hand dexterity will improve and you'll be a better guitar player for it. Anyway here are the other shapes ( try clicking them and see if sound works for you) :

See also Guitar chords for beginners