What notes are in the F Major chord?

The F Major chord contains F, A and C.

How do you play F Major on piano?

Place your fingers on F, A 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 F Major is a white key.

What chords work well with F Major?

F Major 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.

F Major Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes

The F Major chord is built on the root note F. Its notes are F, A and C.

Transpose

Quality

Short answer

Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.

Notes: F · A · C
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5
Semitones: 0 · 4 · 7
Note: F
Quality: Major
Symbol: F

F Major on piano

3 notes

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Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

To play F Major on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F, middle finger on A and little finger on C. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard every note of F Major is a white key. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.

F Major on guitar

View:

Guitar chord diagram of the F Major chord

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

On guitar, F Major is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.

F · A · C

Play F Major on the online piano

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F Major chord notes

Degree	Interval	Semitones	Note
1	Root	0	F
3	Major third	4	A
5	Perfect fifth	7	C

How to use the F Major chord

The F Major chord is built from a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. Start at the root F and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F, A and C. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.

You'll find major chords in almost every style of popular music: rock anthems, country ballads, pop hits and hymns. They commonly appear as the I, IV and V chords in a major key.

In major keys F is the IV in C major, the I in F major and the V in B♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in A minor, the III in D minor and the VII in G minor.

How F Major differs from similar chords

F and Fm share the root and the fifth, and the only difference is the third: a major third in F, a minor third in Fm. Add a major seventh and it becomes Fmaj7, add a minor seventh and it becomes F7. Of all the chords on this root, the plain major triad is the one that sounds finished.

Songs that use the F Major chord

These well-known tracks all play the F Major chord somewhere - they are not necessarily in that key.

1
I Will Always Love You
Whitney Houston
2
Hey Jude
The Beatles
3
Stairway to Heaven
Led Zeppelin
4
Under the Bridge
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5
Someone Like You
Adele

Where F Major is used

A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.

As the tonic (I)F major

Home. The loop leaves F Major and keeps coming back to it.

As the IVC major

F Major is the step away from home that makes the return feel like a return.

As the VB♭ major

F Major is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.

Scales that contain F

These scales include F as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.

C Major

C · D · E · F · G · A · B

C Melodic Minor

C · D · E♭ · F · G · A · B

C Dorian

C · D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭

C Mixolydian

C · D · E · F · G · A · B♭

C Neapolitan Major

C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A · B

D Natural Minor

D · E · F · G · A · B♭ · C

D Dorian

D · E · F · G · A · B · C

D Phrygian

D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C

D Aeolian

D · E · F · G · A · B♭ · C

E♭ Lydian

E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C · D

E♭ Lydian Augmented

E♭ · F · G · A · B · C · D

E♭ Lydian Dominant

E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C · D♭

Questions people ask

What notes are in the F Major chord?: The F Major chord contains F, A and C.
Is the F Major chord major or minor?: F Major is a major chord. Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
What key is the F Major chord in?: In major keys F is the IV in C major, the I in F major and the V in B♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in A minor, the III in D minor and the VII in G minor.
How do you play F Major on piano?: Place your fingers on F, A 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 F Major is a white key.
How do you play F Major on guitar?: Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
What chords work well with F Major?: F Major 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.

Related chords, scales and keys

Chords

Scales

Keys