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Home ❯ Topics ❯ Barre Chords ❯

F Chord, Made Easy: 7 Alternatives to the Barred Version

Lesson #392 • Oct 2, 2021

Video lesson

Instructional PDF 3 pages

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Follow along with the print-friendly PDF!

It includes all of my notes for this lesson, allowing you to follow along at your own pace. You're free to download, print, and share the PDF across your devices.

To download the PDF, upgrade to premium or log in.

Editor’s notes

Hey friends! In this video I show you 7 “other” ways to play the F chord, none of which require barring all 6 of the strings (which is what the “normal” F voicing calls for). Even though I can play the difficult barred version, in honesty I rarely use it: there are simple many other voicings that get the job done for way less effort. I also want to demystify this chord for those of you who are new to guitar: don’t let the F chord scare you away from learning songs! There are easier ways to play the chord which will absolutely get the job done.

In this video I’ll go through 8 total versions of F, all based on the first 3 frets. For each I’ll explain when to use it, show a picture of hand position, guitar tabs with fingers required, and a fretboard map. My hope is this lesson (and the PDF cheat sheet that accompanies it) will forevermore make F an easier chord to play.

Video timestamps:

  • 0:00 Overview & Lesson Summary
  • 1:41 Full Six-String Barred Version
  • 3:29 Little Baby F (3 strings)
  • 5:35 Middle-4-Strings F
  • 8:18 Thinnest-4-Strings F
  • 11:14 Thickest-4-Strings F
  • 13:13 Fadd9
  • 14:27 Fmaj7
  • 15:36 Wrapped Thumb F
  • 17:15 Final Advice & Tips

Barre Chord Strength Training (Lesson #99)

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Wrapped-Thumb F Deep Dive (Lesson #244)

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Key of C Cheat Sheet (Lesson #388)

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