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F Guitar Chord and Family

F Guitar Chord and Family is Part 9 in a 14 part series on Learn to Play Guitar Lessons. We will learn to play F Major and F minor in multiple places on the guitar. We will also learn all of the diatonic chords in the key of F Major.

NOTE: To review the major scale visit C Major Scale

F GUITAR CHORD AND FAMILY

F GUITAR CHORD

Again, a triad is a 3 note chord. You need a root, a 3rd and a 5th.

Below is an F major scale. The notes are F,G,A,Bb,C,D,E

Take the 1st note F, the 3rd note A and the 5th note C. This makes an F Major chord. Often the 1st note (also called the root or the tonic) and/or the 5th note is doubled. The 3rd is rarely doubled.

In the F guitar chord below, the notes are as follows:

Top string - F (root)
5th string - C (5th)
4th string - F (root doubled)
3rd string - A (3rd)
2nd string - C (5th doubled)
1st string - F (root)

F MAJOR CHORD version 1

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F MAJOR CHORD version 2

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F MINOR CHORD

A minor triad is still a 3 note chord. You need a root, a minor 3rd and a 5th. F minor is the relative minor (VI chord) in Ab Major.

Below is an F minor scale (also called natural minor). The notes are: F,G,Ab,Bb,C,Db,Eb

Take the 1st note F, the 3rd note A which is now down a half step (or semi-tone) to Ab and the 5th note C. This makes an F minor chord.

In the F minor chord below the notes are as follows:

Here the 1st note (also called the root or the tonic) is triple and the 5th note is doubled. The minor 3rd is only played once.

Top string - F (root)
5th string - C (5th)
4th string - F (root doubled)
3rd string - Ab (minor 3rd)
2nd string - C (5th doubled)
1st string - F (root)

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DIATONIC CHORDS IN F MAJOR

If you have been following the course in order, you see that we have jumped from B Major to F Major. I have done this because on guitar you will rarely write in the next succession of keys.

After B comes: F#(Gb), C#(Db), G#(Ab), D#(Eb), A#(Bb) to finally E#(F). If we kept going, we return full circle to C Major.

For a review visit the Circle of 5ths.

In the key of F there is one flat, Bb.

To review music theory chords in a key visit C Major Chord and Chord Theory and return.

There are 7 chords in a key indicated by roman numerals. In F Major they are:

F Major is the I Major chord
G minor is the II minor chord
A minor is the III minor chord
Bb Major is the IV Major chord
C Major is the V Major chord
D minor is the VI minor chord
E diminished is the VII diminished chord

F Major / I Major

G minor / II minor

A minor / III minor

Bb Major / IV Major

C Major / V Major

D minor / VI minor

E diminished / VII diminished

Thanks for viewing F Guitar Chord and Family. Now let's look at some Country Guitar Chords!

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Continue to Part 10, Country Guitar Chords

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