This article is for those who find the F chord difficult to play.
Generally, the first hurdle for those starting out on the guitar is the F chord.
It seems that there are quite a few people who are frustrated by the F chord.
It would be a shame to start playing the guitar and then quit halfway through!
Therefore, I think it’s best to postpone the difficult task of being able to play a proper F chord.
So, I will introduce a simple way to play the F chord (abbreviated form) that is different from the normal F chord.
If you read this article,
・You will be able to understand what a normal F chord is (even if you can’t play it, it’s okay).
– Even if you can’t play the normal F chord, you will be able to play the F chord in the abbreviated form.
If you can’t play the song because you can’t play the F chord, you can learn the abbreviation form in this article and be able to play the song.
(1) What is F code? Why F chords are difficult
First, let’s check the F code diagram.
It’s a little hard to understand, but you can press it like this.
The index finger is used to press all strings from 1st to 6th.
This “holding everything with your index finger” is difficult, so as I wrote at the beginning, I will postpone learning to play this difficult F chord!
(If you want to try the normal F, please try it. I will also explain how to hold the normal F in another article.)
(2) Abbreviated form
Now, this is the abbreviated form.
First, a diagram.
Press it as shown in the photo below.
The slightly difficult part is that you have to press the 1st and 2nd strings at the same time with your index finger.
Lay your index finger down a little and press the 1st and 2nd strings with the entire tip of your index finger.
As before, keep your middle and ring fingers upright and avoid touching the other strings.
Play strings 4 to 1.
*Be careful not to play the 5th and 6th strings at the same time, as this will result in strange sounds.
If you cannot hold down the 1st and 2nd strings at the same time, try playing only the 2nd string and not the 1st string.
However, I think this may not produce enough sound, so practice holding down the 1st and 2nd strings at the same time little by little.
(3) Concept of abbreviated forms
The relationship between the normal F shown in (1) and the abbreviated form is shown in the diagram.
You can see that the 1st to 4th strings are pressed in the same place.
In the abbreviated form, the blue part, the 5th and 6th strings, are omitted.
In other words, when you’re playing a song and an F comes up, you just need to remember to “ignore the 5th and 6th strings” (play with an abbreviated chord).
<Next article>
Recommended practice songs for guitar beginners and how to find chords
<Reference>
If you would like to play a regular F chord, the following article will introduce it to you.
How to hold the F chord/Tips for holding it
<Related links>
Chord diagrams
