Chords in the Key of F Major — Guitar Chord Chart

Guitar Chords in the Key of F Major

The key of F major has 1 flat, and its seven chords are F, Gm, Am, B♭, C, Dm, Edim. Start with F, B♭, C: they are the three a song in F major cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of F major

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

IF133211the home chord
iiGm310033leads to V
iiiAmx02210a softer stand-in for I
IVB♭x13331the step away from home
VCx32010pulls back to I
viDmxx0231the relative minor
vii°Edimxx2353rare — a passing chord

The three to learn first

F is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. B♭ is the step away, and C is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are 133211, x13331 and x32010: F with a barre at the 1st fret and three more fingers, B♭ with a barre at the 1st fret and three more fingers and C with three fingers.

The easy way: a capo at the 3rd fret

F major is not a friendly key on guitar — F, Gm and B♭ need a barre or a fourth finger. Clamp a capo at the 3rd fret and play the chords of D major instead: every shape sounds 3 semitones higher, so the D shape sounds F, the G shape sounds B♭ and the A shape sounds C.

Progressions in F major

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

I – IV – VF – B♭ – C

Three chords, and thousands of folk, blues, country and rock songs.

I – V – vi – IVF – C – Dm – B♭

The four-chord pop progression.

I – vi – IV – VF – Dm – B♭ – C

The 1950s doo-wop turnaround.

ii – V – IGm – C7 – F

The jazz cadence: two steps toward home, then home.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. C7 is the one worth learning first: it is C with one note added, and it pulls toward F harder than the plain chord does.

V7C7x32310the dominant with its seventh — the strongest pull home
Imaj7Fmaj7132211home, softened
ii7Gm7353333the jazz player’s way into V7

The scale behind the chords

F major is the notes F – G – A – B♭ – C – D – E. Every chord above uses only those seven notes, which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in F major fits over any of them. Its relative minor is D minor, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: C major and B♭ major. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of F major?

F (I), Gm (ii), Am (iii), B♭ (IV), C (V), Dm (vi), Edim (vii°). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the F major scale — F, G, A, B♭, C, D, E — using only notes of that scale.

What are the three main chords in F major?

F, B♭ and C — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. F is home, B♭ moves away from it and C pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative minor of F major?

D minor. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is vi in F major is the home chord of D minor. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is F major an easy key on guitar?

3 of its six everyday chords — F, Gm and B♭ — need a barre or four fingers on guitar. The usual way round that is a capo at the 3rd fret, playing the chord shapes of D major.

Strum them yourself

The playable guitar puts the chords of a key in a row: tap one to hold it, and drag across the strings.

Play the Virtual Guitar