Looking to learn how to play the F major chord on the piano? If you’re just getting started with piano chords, you will love this! We will go over some easy keyboard diagrams of the F chord, including inversions, fingerings, and more.
Oh F Major…the one white key with a FLAT instead of a sharp!
So many of my piano students dread F major. The fingering on the scale is unexpected. And they always. forget. the B flat! ????
That said – the F major piano chord is actually much easier than the key as a whole. You won’t even have to worry about the Bb!
Let’s get started learning all about the F chord!
What is the F chord?
First of all, what is an F chord anyway? Basically, it is a chord in the family of major chords, made up of 3 notes inwhat’s called a triad.It is formed like any other major chord – by building a major third and then a minor third on top of that. If that sounds scary, don’t worry. The diagrams and tips I’ll give you will make it easy peasy!
How do you play an F chord on piano?
You will play an F major chord simply by pressing down the 3 notes in the triad simultaneously. See below for a diagram on which notes are included.
Notes in an F Chord
In it’s simplest form (root position) the F chord includes 3 notes: F, A, and C. The F is the root of the chord, the A the major third, and the C the perfect fifth. Below you can see F major on the keyboard!
Let’s dive deeper into finding these notes on the piano (for beginners specifically!)
One thing to keep in mind is that you should always find the root of the chord first – in this case, the F note. F can be found directly below the 3 black keys. It is also right above E and below G.
To find A, simply move up two white notes from F. And to find the last note, C, simply move 2 white notes up from A.
F Chord piano Finger Position
Another important thing to keep in mind when playing the F chord is fingerings. You want to make sure you use the right fingers anytime you play the piano (I know it seems annoying at first, but it will help in the long run!)
The nice thing is that the fingerings for major chords are always the same.
Right hand fingering: 1 – 3 – 5
Left hand fingering: 5 – 3 – 1
Don’t forget that finger 1 is your thumb, finger 3 your middle finger, and finger 5 your pinky.
Learn More Piano Chords
- G7 Chord
- D Major Chord
- E Major Chord
- G Major Chord
- A Major Chord
- B Major Chord
F Chord Piano Inversions
Once you have the basic F chord down, you can start learning inversions. An inversion is basically the same notes, but mixed up into a different order. Inversions are formed by taking the bottom note of the chord and putting it on the top. It is really a lot more simple than people sometimes think it is.
F/A – First Inversion F Chord
F first inversion is also known as “F/A” – the reason for this is the A is on the bottom. As you can see below, you’ll flip the F from the bottom onto the top for first inversion.
Right Hand fingering: 1 – 2 – 5
Left hand fingering: 5 – 3 – 1
F/C – Second Inversion F Chord
F second inversion is also known as F/C, for the same reason as the previous inversion. In this chord, C is on the bottom rather than F or A. Just take A from first inversion and place it on the top to form second inversion!
Right hand fingering: 1 – 3 – 5
Left hand fingering: 1 – 2 – 5
Playing the F chord in the left hand
Once you learn the F chord and its inversions, you might begin to wonder how it can be played in the left hand. If you’ve ever tried playing the full chords down low with your left hand, you might have noticed that it sounds very “thick.” Basically, it doesn’t sound good.????
So instead of just playing the chords in the left hand, I recommend experimenting with different voicings of the F chord.
Basically, this means you will still play the main chord in your right hand, and then play a bass note to go along with it in your left hand.
Here is an example of how you could play an F chord split between the left AND right hand:
- Play a regular root position F chord in your right hand
- Put any note in the F chord down as a base note in the left hand. You can play a low F to make it root position, or you could play a low A or C to make it first/second inversion.
- You can also mix it up and experiment! Change up the inversion in your right hand and the bass note in your left hand to get different sounds.
What are the chords in the key of F?
Now we have covered a bunch of basic things about the F chord. But what about OTHER chords in the key of F? This is where that annoying B flat will come into play more ????
You can build a chord off of each note in the F scale. Here’s a quick list you can refer to:
I: F
ii: Gm
iii: Am
IV: Bb
V: C
vi: Dm
vii: E diminished
Common Chord Progressions in the key of F
Once you know those chords in the key of F, you can start putting them together to form chord progressions. Here are a few common chord progressions you’ll see in F major songs:
- F – C – Dm – Bb (I – V – vi – IV)
- F – Bb – C (I – IV – V)
- Gm – C – F (ii – V – I)
- F – Bb – C – Dm (I – IV – V – ii)
Conclusion
I hope this post has helped you in your chord journey! The F major chord is really not too hard once you know the notes that are in it. So now it’s your turn – sit down and practice! Start by playing just F, A, and C together simultaneously for a basic F chord. Then, move onto different inversions and voicings. You got this!
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