PorchtoneQuick answer: the seven chords in F major are F, Gm, Am, B♭, C, Dm, E°. The strongest are F, B♭ and C (the I, IV and V); most songs in F lean on those.
The chords
| FIF A C | GmiiG B♭ D | AmiiiA C E | B♭IVB♭ D F | CVC E G | DmviD F A | E°vii°E G B♭ |
Progressions that sound good in F
- Pop anthemF – C – Dm – B♭ (I V vi IV)
Big, hopeful, singable. One of the most used progressions in pop.
- SensitiveDm – B♭ – F – C (vi IV I V)
The same four chords starting on the minor: wistful, then lifting.
- FiftiesF – Dm – B♭ – C (I vi IV V)
Doo-wop and slow-dance warmth.
- LiftB♭ – F – C – Dm (IV I V vi)
Starts away from home, so it feels like it is always reaching.
- Slow burnF – Am – B♭ – C (I iii IV V)
Tender, with a gentle ache on the iii chord.
- HymnF – B♭ – F – C (I IV I V)
Plain and honest; leaves room for the words.
- Three chordsF – B♭ – C (I IV V)
The backbone of folk, country and rock and roll.
- HighwayF – E♭ – B♭ – F (I bVII IV I)
Open-road rock: the borrowed ♭VII gives it swagger.
- HeartlandF – E♭ – B♭ – B♭ (I bVII IV IV)
Jangly, wide-open guitar rock.
- 12-bar bluesF7 – F7 – F7 – F7 – B♭7 – B♭7 – F7 – F7 – C7 – B♭7 – F7 – C7 (I7 I7 I7 I7 IV7 IV7 I7 I7 V7 IV7 I7 V7)
Twelve bars that most of rock and roll grew out of.
- Two-five-oneGm7 – C7 – Fmaj7 (ii7 V7 Imaj7)
The basic cadence of jazz standards.
Playing in F with a capo
If the barre chords in F are a stretch, put a capo on and play easier open shapes. The song still sounds in F.
| Capo | Play these shapes |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | E, G♭m, A♭m, A, B, D♭m (shapes from E) |
| Fret 3 | D, Em, G♭m, G, A, Bm (shapes from D) |
| Fret 5 | C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am (shapes from C) |
Related keys
F major shares all its chords with its relative minor, D minor. Its closest neighbours are C major and B♭ major, which share six of its seven notes and make easy key changes.