Home ❯ Topics ❯ Barre Chords ❯

Fingerstyle Chord Tip: F#m Without Barring

Lesson #241 • Jun 4, 2019

Add to My Favorites

Adding to my favorites…

Added (View All Favorites | Remove)

Added (removing…)

Video Overview

Instructional PDF 2 pages

Editor’s notes

In this lesson I’m happy to show you an easier way to play the F#m (F sharp minor) chord without using any barre chord techniques. I stumbled upon this voicing while recently learning “Yesterday” by the Beatles, which features a tricky transition from G to F#m to B7 – and was happy to realize this simplified voicing worked great in that context. Note, what I’ll show is primarily meant for playing fingerstyle (it doesn’t work as well with full strums). I’ll also show a few practice exercises you can use in order to get up to speed with using this simplified voicing in actual context. Finally, I’ll demonstrate how you can use this chord shape to play other minor chords up the fretboard (e.g., 5xx555 = A minor; 8xx888 = C minor; etc). Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoy!

Browse Related Lessons

Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Most of the lessons on my website are 100% free. If you have the means, please show your support with a tip jar contribution. I put many hours into every lesson — but it only takes you a minute to make a donation. You have my thanks!

Donate

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Recently Added

Featured Courses

Guitar for Beginners

A guide to getting started with guitar! Everything you need to know to begin your journey. Choosing a guitar, other gear you'll need, fretting notes & chords, learning your first songs, and more.

14 lessons

View

Beginner Chord Guide

A guide to the must-know chords you'll need when getting started with guitar! The quickest way to learn major chords, minor chords, the chords in each key, and more.

22 lessons

View

Reading Music for Guitarists

Learn to read tabs, chord charts, fretboard diagrams, strumming patterns, and more! This course explains how to understand all of these must-know notation styles.

6 lessons

View

Blues Starter Kit

A guide to must-know elements of beginner blues guitar! I'll walk you through the essential topics, showing you fun things to play along the way.

18 lessons

Fingerstyle & Travis Picking

Practical Music Theory

Walk Ups & Walk Downs

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Interactive fretboard map! See the patterns behind every scale in any key.

View

Capo Captain

An easy way to calculate key & chord combinations, for any capo location!

View

Key Master

See and hear the notes, chords, scales used in each of the most common keys.

View

Blank Tabs

Free PDF templates to download, print, and write out your own guitar tabs!

View

Coming soon is Jambox – which shows all the video jam tracks I've made. It's note quite ready for the spotlight, but check it out if you like!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!

Recent Lessons

April 10, 2026

"Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty

Learn to strum and sing Tom Petty's 1989 classic. I include a campfire version (no capo), as well as the colorful chord variations used in Key of D (capo 3) and Key of E (capo 1) versions. Rhythm & strumming tips too!
March 23, 2026

"I'm a Little Crazy" by Morgan Wallen

A step-by-step fingerstyle guide to Morgan Wallen's hit from 2025. I demonstrate a handful of ways to approach Trais-style fingerpicking, where each layer builds upon the last.
March 17, 2026

[Fixed] Minor Pentatonic Cheat Sheet - Download Link Fixed!

Back in lesson #583, I published 40 pages of scale cheat sheets... but just realized the minor pentatonic summary PDF had a broken download link! I've fixed it.
March 13, 2026

Guitar Tech Tip: Change the Key of Any YouTube Video

A must-know tip for guitarists in the modern age! I teach you how to change the key of ANY video on YouTube, allowing you to play along in standard tuning.
March 12, 2026

[Updated] Strum & Riff Guide for "About a Girl" by Nirvana

I've updated my practice notes for this Nirvana classic! Learn the rhtyhm & strumming, along with the recognizable guitar riff.
March 3, 2026

Strumming Issues? Try the "Pyramid" Rhythm Drill

This is the #1 most helpful strumming & rhythm exercise out there, in my book! It'll help you with staying on the beat, strumming smoothly, counting 8th & 16th notes, and so much more.
Feb 13-20, 2026

Save Your "Favorite" Lessons, with Custom Collections!

The biggest new feature I've added in years! Build a list of your "Favorite" lessons, organized into custom collections of your choosing. Tons of requests for this... hope you enjoy!
February 4, 2026

Sing & Strum "Piano Man" by Billy Joel

Learn how to play Billy Joel's 1973 classic on your six string! This lesson includes plenty of practical ways to simplify some of the tricky piano chords, to suit a range of skill levels.
Jan 26, 2026

Member Q&A: January 2026

Here's a round-up of the video Q&A I made for Song Notes members over the last few weeks. Plenty of handy practice tips included!

Browse All Recent Lessons →

← back to homepage

Fingerstyle Chord Tip: F#m Without Barring

Video Overview

Instructional PDF 2 pages

Editor’s notes

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Browse Related Lessons

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Featured Courses

Guitar for Beginners

Beginner Chord Guide

Reading Music for Guitarists

Blues Starter Kit

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Capo Captain

Key Master

Blank Tabs

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Recent Lessons