F is one of the more challenging chords to master, taking time, patience, and dedication in practice to perfect.
Start off on the right foot by choosing a smaller barre version of an F shape. This will keep your fingers flexible while learning the shape, and allows for greater focus on great finger positioning without added strain of barring across two strings at once.
Major
F major chord is one of the most versatile chords used in music, belonging to both major triads (F, A and C) as well as being part of popular 4-chord song progressions in pop music genres and other styles.
This chord contains all major notes in a scale, making it a good starting point for melodies you might compose using them. Furthermore, its simple composition requires only four fingers on your left hand (thumb, middle finger and pinkie if right-handed).
One important fact about the major 7 chord is its versatility – you can play it at any octave! So don’t think that if you’re having difficulty, there must be something wrong with you; simply move down the fretboard and change its inversion (called its’version’). Doing this can make playing chords much simpler!
Modifying a chord by swapping out its fifth for a perfect fourth is known as a suspended chord and should usually be written as Csus2 or Csus4, rather than its more familiar form, C5add6 or Am/C. The idea behind it is that by keeping bass note slightly separate from other notes in chord, its resonance can increase and it becomes brighter sounding.
A chord can also be extended using notes from its ascending scale, such as adding in 7th (Dominant or Diminished), 11th or 13th chords; these do not form part of the actual chord itself but instead convey melodic ideas through tonality and tone.
Minor
F minor is one of the most ubiquitous triad chords, used across genres and songs alike. A prime example is Where Is My Mind by Pixies which uses it effectively to convey an unsettling tone. Other examples can be found in songs by Eagles and Led Zeppelin; adding this chord into your arsenal would only increase its versatility!
As you learn the F minor scale, it is essential that you are aware that it is melodic minor – which means the sixth and seventh notes are raised by a semitone as opposed to flattening like in natural minor. This makes the chord sound more major while altering how it functions within progressions.
F minor chords typically consist of three notes – F, Ab and C – in its most basic form. This form can also be called sus (suspended) chord because it lacks an implied seventh note above the bass which would normally be implied by C9. Sus chords can also be altered by adding or substituting sevenths above base or switching third and fourth above root (Csus or C-F-G respectively).
Once you’ve mastered the basic triad, it’s time to experiment with inversions of an F minor chord. Inversions simply involve rearrangement of its notes so the chord has a distinct sound; fingering remains similar as for major triads; finger 1 and 3, plus 2 and 5, will still be used as required. For more on this topic, refer to our guide on chord inversions.
Dominant
The fifth scale degree, known as the dominant chord, is the second chord in a diatonic scale (after its tonic). A dominant seventh chord combines major triads with an added note that is one minor seventh above chord root for added power compared to just major triads alone. Tritones, intervals that create tension in music, combine to form what is known as the tritone scale. The seventh also serves to guide a progression toward its tonic chord through voice leading, an organic process in which each chord’s middle notes move a half step higher or lower in relation to its successor’s root note. A dominant seventh chord usually appears just prior to its tonic note, and this tendency becomes especially strong if the dominant contains a leading tone (which serves as the third of its partner triad). For instance, G7 often resolves up one half step to A, the chord root for C major chord.
Dominant chords can also be used to shift between keys. By adding a dominant seventh to the tonic of a new key, dominance provides a powerful push toward its tonic, while helping harmonize any existing chords within that new key.
Finding songs you enjoy that feature dominant seventh chords can be an excellent way to practice them. Genres ranging from rock and blues, through jazz and funk all embrace these powerful chords’ power and tension – plus most major chords can easily be transformed into dominant sevenths by simply switching one note around – so don’t be afraid to experiment! This will give you a feel for how these chords work within a song’s structure.
Half-Diminished
Diminished chords are an integral component of any harmonic toolkit, adding both intrigue and tension to songs. They often appear midway through chord progressions to provide interesting transitions between major and minor chords. Although diminished chords may initially prove challenging to play, once you understand their mechanics you can use them to craft some truly stunning musical compositions!
A diminished chord is a triad with a minor third and flattened fifth, constructed from the Locrian scale (1-6-2-1b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7). To create this tone, an additional sixth note half step below its root must be added; this sixth note results in an entirely unique sound from its counterpart triad.
Half-diminished chords are represented in bass notation as 6/4/2 chords and typically appear in root position. To invert one, take the initial note from its original triad and move it up an octave; this will result in the new chord; for example if you want to invert an F half-diminished seventh chord you would change its root note to Cb instead.
Drop 2 Voicing (or Drop Two Vinging, as its often referred to) is one way of creating diminished chords, and often results in the most effective sound. Drop Two Vinging works by dropping the second highest note from a closed voicing (e.g. a Bm7b5 with its notes B, D and F being dropped an octave down) creating what’s known as Drop Three Vocing which contains notes Bb3,b4 and b5.
Each interval quality has its own set of notation symbols and notes, starting with major scale note names listed in step four and adjusted up or down based on chord type.
Suspended
Suspended chords are created by replacing the third note in a major scale triad with either a 2nd or 4th, often to create dissonance and tension within songs as well as adding flavorful variation in chord progressions. They’re easy to learn and can make for great additions to your musical vocabulary!
A sus4 chord or sus2 chord (sus1 chords are another version) consists of the root, 4th and 5th notes in any major scale and are commonly known as sus chords due to the 4th that replaces the third in its original chord form. While building these types of chords may be simple, their unique sound makes for an exciting experience!
Suspended chords can often be seen in popular music like The Police’s Message in a Bottle, where multiple suspended seconds (sus2) form part of an arpeggiated guitar riff. Suspended chords can help create tension and dissonance within songs when combined with full rhythm section performance.
Suspended chords are frequently employed to add space in songs. Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy features an effective G sus4 to G chord progression throughout, emphasizing the lyrical space between words. Such suspensions are particularly common in jazz music where they are commonly known as jazz sus chords.
Classical music makes use of suspended chords to build tension and anticipation by delaying resolution to the tonic chord, similar to how classical composers create tension before releasing it through crescendos.