| Many beginner guitarists get discouraged when | | | | You can play the F major chord with just three |
| they meet the F bar chord. This chord is a very | | | | essential notes, the root, 3rd and 5th. These |
| difficult one to play and tackling it too early in | | | | three notes are referred to as a triad. Guitarists |
| your playing career can be off putting. You might | | | | commonly use triads to create new sounds when |
| be just a little demotivated, or worse, decide that | | | | playing chords or soloing. |
| you could never learn to play guitar. | | | | Finger the F triad at the head of the guitar neck |
| But fret not, it is perfectly normal if you are | | | | as shown in the diagram below. Strum only the |
| having a hard time learning it. Many guitarists, | | | | fourth, third and second strings; respectively the |
| even experienced ones, have trouble playing it | | | | root, 3rd and 5th notes of the chord.e x||---|---|---|b |
| correctly. So, put off learning this fearsome chord | | | | ||-1-|---|---|g ||---|-2-|---|d ||---|---|-3-|a x||---|---|---| |
| for a while thanks to the tips below that show | | | | E x||---|---|---| |
| you alternatives that will give you a gradual | | | | If you do hit the high e string you will obtain an F |
| approach. | | | | major 7 chord. It will still sound OK in the key of |
| 1. Choose your key | | | | C, but to get a good F sound concentrate on |
| When you start learning guitar the G and D keys | | | | avoiding the e string with your strum. You can |
| are the best to play. You can then go on to learn | | | | lean your first finger down a little to mute it as a |
| chords in the keys of A and then E. These four | | | | help. |
| keys let you play literally thousands of songs and | | | | 4. E chord shape |
| none of them includes the F major chord. | | | | Finger the familiar open E chord one fret up from |
| The key of F is most often used in the key of C. | | | | its usual position, with your first finger on the 2nd |
| This key is often used by beginners in music | | | | fret. This is a different fingering you can use to |
| because it is a popular key for playing piano; this | | | | play the F triad. Strum only the fifth, fourth and |
| instrument is the foundation of western music | | | | third strings which are the 5th, root and 3rd notes |
| theory. | | | | of the chord respectively. |
| C is probably the easiest key to play on the piano | | | | 5. Use a D chord form up the neck |
| because it uses only the white notes on the | | | | This time you use yet another F triad further up |
| keyboard. On the guitar, though, it forces you to | | | | the neck at the 5th fret. The fingering is the |
| play the difficult F chord, so it's best avoided. | | | | same as the open D chord. Just move the D |
| 2. Use a capo | | | | chord up three frets and strum the top three |
| Play in the key of C with a capo to avoid the F | | | | strings for an F chord. |
| bar chord. The capo is a small device that | | | | Vth frete ||-1-|---|---|b ||---|-3-|---|g ||-2-|---|---|d |
| changes the key when fitted to your guitar's | | | | x||---|---|---|a x||---|---|---| |
| neck. | | | | E x||---|---|---| |
| For example, with a capo at the third fret the | | | | These five tips show you how you can avoid |
| open chords A, D and E are in fact the chords C, | | | | playing the F bar chord. Use them to enjoy your |
| F and G - the key of C and no bar chord in sight. | | | | guitar and build confidence before tackling this |
| 3. Three note F chord | | | | tricky chord form. |