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How to Play The F Chord on Bass
The most common way to play the F Chord on bass is at the 8th position of the fretboard, on the E, A, and D strings. Play it with your ring, pinky, and middle fingers. Here’s how to place your fingers:
- Ring finger (3) on fret 8 of the E string
- Pinky finger (4) on fret 8 of the A string
- Middle finger (2) on fret 7 of the D string
The root note, F, is on the 8th fret of the A string, which you can see in the chord diagram below.
You can also play F major as a dyad, which means playing it with only the 2 primary intervals: the root (F) and the 3rd (A).
You can use this F major arpeggio bass diagram to visualize and construct the F major chord in any position on your fretboard.
Other names for F Major
The F major chord can be written in several ways, including:
- F Major
- Fmaj
- F
These notations all represent the same chord, built from the notes F, A, and C.
Practicing the E chord on bass
The F chord is the root chord in the F major scale, so use it in a 1-4-5 progression in the key of F major. This gives you the chords F – Bb – C.
The F major chord also sounds great as the V chord in the Bb major scale. Use it in a Bb major chord progression such as F – Eb – Bb.
