F5 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F5 chord is a power chord built on the root note F. Its notes are F and C.
Power chords have no third at all, only a root and a fifth, so they are neither major nor minor. That emptiness is the point: run one through a distorted amp and it stays clean and thick where a full triad would turn to mud.
- Notes
- F · C
- Formula
- 1 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 7
- Note
- F
- Quality
- Power Chord (5)
- Symbol
- F5
F5 on piano
2 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play F5 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F and little finger on C. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard every note of F5 is a white key. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F1
- C5
F5 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Don't play strings 3, 2 and 1.
F · C
Play F5 on the online piano
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F5 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C |
How to use the F5 chord
The F5 chord is built from a root and a perfect fifth. Start at the root F and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F and C. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Power chords drive punk, metal, grunge and hard rock, played on the low strings with distortion. Guitarists move a single shape up and down the neck, which is why riffs built from them transpose so easily.
How F5 differs from similar chords
F5 holds only the root and the fifth, so unlike F or Fm it has no third to decide its colour. With two notes it is the smallest chord in the library, often doubled with the root an octave up. The same F5 shape therefore fits major and minor songs alike.
Where F5 is used
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F5 chord?
- The F5 chord contains F and C.
- Is the F5 chord major or minor?
- F5 is a power chord. Power chords have no third at all, only a root and a fifth, so they are neither major nor minor. That emptiness is the point: run one through a distorted amp and it stays clean and thick where a full triad would turn to mud.
- How do you play F5 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F and C and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard every note of F5 is a white key.
- How do you play F5 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Don't play strings 3, 2 and 1.
- What chords work well with F5?
- F5 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.