E Style Chords: The "F's"

You'll recall that in the previous lesson I explained what an "E Style" chord is.

Style = Where the root note lies If the root note falls on the low E string, the chord shape in question will be an E style chord. Today we will be focusing on the F chord in thefollowing fashions: 1. F Major2. F Minor (Fm)3. F# Major4. F# Minor (F#m) Because you already know that these are all E style chords, you can assume that using the template from the E/Em lesson - but we'll just bedoing things a BIT different.

F Major and Fm

When you view these two chords, a few things will come to mind. First, examining the F Major and Fm shows us that there is only ONE notechange that separates the Major vs. Minor chord. It's the 2nd fret note on the G string. WIth the F Major the note called for is an A note. With theFm the note called for is a G#(Ab) note. This is the only difference between the two chords. Another thing you'll notice (which you may already know) is that the F Major looks an AWFUL lot like the E Major - except it's barred so that all thefirst fret notes are used. The same applies to the Fm chord. It looks an awful lot like the Em doesn't it?

This is ANOTHER way of looking at what an "E Style" chord really is. See, I avoided saying anything about this until now. While the case is alwaystrue that an E style chord is always formed by the root note on the low E string, you'll also find that every single low E string root will either createa SHAPE of E Major or Em. Follow me there? The chart on the E style chords might have given it away the other day, but here is the chart againfor reference.

E Style Chords (Major)

These are ALL "E Style" chords. As you can see, we start with the open E Major, and then move to each higher pitch. All root notes are found onthe low E strings until we reach the 12th fret. We then start over in note names. Notice the movement on the A, D, and G strings in the passage.You can see the E "shape" forming. Here is a breakdown:

The parentheses indicate the root note, but as you look at the other notes I've provided you will see a simple shift in fret usage. Neat huh?

E Style Chords (Minor)

Here we have the minor versions of the E style chords. I have included parentheses to indicate the note change from the Major tab further above.If we wanted to break the E style minor chords down as we did with the E style Major chords, we'd have this:

Yet again - it's all about a simple shift in fret usage. Speaking of "shifts"......

F# Major and F# Minor (F#m)Since we're in the process of shifting notes using the E style concept, now is a great time to quickly explain these two chords. This may besomething you are very familiar with, but nonetheless we need to check it out.

Take a quick look at F Major vs. F# Major in a chord diagram:

vs Easy! It's the same shape, but the F Major has moved to the 2nd fret root note. That's it! Now all notes have gone up in pitch one fret. Both the FMajor and F# Major are still E style chords, but by utilizing the F# note instead of the F note on the low E string, we now have an F#. The same applies with the F#m.

vs. Simple enough, right? Well, it just gets easier. Before we go all crazy here let's take a look at how we might choose to play all of these chords asseparate units using the fingerstyle formula we used from the E Major concept the other day.

F Major Scale

Notes used: F, G, A, A#, C, D, E

F# Major Scale

Notes used: F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#, F

F Minor Scale

Notes used: F, G, G#, A#, C, C#, D#

F#m Scale

Notes used: F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E

The DifferencesThe differences between these scales is rather diverse, but you will see plenty of similarities as well. The F Major scale contains only one sharp/flat. The F# Major scale contains five sharps/flats.The Fm scale contains four sharps/flats.The F#m scale contains three sharps/flats.

What We Must Know About The F'sBecause we've already established that every chord used in the lesson today are E Style chords, we no longer have to worry so much aboutwhich notes MUST be played. We already know this from the previous lesson. Simply stated, we really need the notes on the G string to be obvious. Remember, the note on the G string (using E style formations) is what tellsus whether or not the chord is a Major or a minor.

Getting Started With FingerstyleWhile we don't have to continuously play the noticeable note changes from Major to minor in a fingerstyle passage, we want to make sure it'ssomewhere in there for the listener to hear and interpret. I always like to at LEAST include two notes in a fingerstyle passage based on the chorditself. After all, it's not "really" fingerstyle unless we have some simultaneous notes. Here's what I would most likely do when starting a fingerstylepassage using the F chords:

F - F#

Fm - F#m

This is an exact duplicate pattern from our first E lesson so it should be easy to you. The notes in parentheses on the Fm - F#m indicate thechanges from their Major counterparts. The way in which you choose to use your picking hand is really up to you on the fingerstyle.

2 Digits(Thumb, 1st)

3 Digits (Thumb, 1st, 2nd)

4 Digits (Thumb, 1st, 2nd, 3rd)

5 Digits(Thumb, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th)

Here you'll find that the thumb takes care of the first three lowest strings while the1st finger takes care of the three highest strings. This pattern is very basic, and really only allows two notes to ring.

This is a pattern I use frequently, but not so much with E style. It allows for three note usage in fingerstyle, but is more suitable for A style shapes.

This is a pattern I use almost exclusively for E style chordsbecause it allows me to hear the G string note, which is where the Major vs. minor comes in. I don't generally play the high E string using this pattern very much unlessit's a filler note. .

This is most likely the "truest" fingerstyle pattern, but it's not always easy. I only use this pattern when I absolutely must. I rarely (if ever) create a pattern like thisbecause I don't want to focus so much on the fingerings.

Applying Fingerings (Picking Hand)Now we'll start branching off from everything we have officially learned so far. This includes what we played with the E chords as well as the Fchords.

Progression: F - E - F#m - Em | F - Fm - C*

* I threw in the C Major at the end for resolve. While it's an A style chord, you can still easily play it using the suggested fingerings. For this passage, just use your thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers. Here's the template I would like you to practice with:

I bet you'll find this one works easiest based on template, including the A style C Major chord.

Ready To Try A Riff?Well of COURSE you are! What I would like to do now is provide you with a series of optional riffs that will help you practice.

Riff #1This is a very easy riff that is more of a setup for a blues turnaround. The progression is just F - E - F. The E - F at the end are played as halfnotes, so you'll play each chord once per measure. Two halves = a whole measure.

What do you see in the lead riff above? Well, everything seems to work just fine using the F Major scale, right? ALMOST. Notice the "4's" on thetab. According to the F Major scale we can't play those notes. They aren't part of the F Major scale. Since I mentioned this was a bluesy riff, I betyou can assume what I did. I combined the F Major scale with the F Major blues scale. The F Major Scale: F, G, A, A#, C, D, EThe F Major Blues Scale: F, G#/Ab, A#/Bb, B, C, D#/Eb, F There are 3 notes that aren't technically part of the F Major Blues scale. They are A, G, and E. However, they ARE part of the F Major scale.By combining these two scales together (thinking 'outside the box') we can create a less-than-boring little riff that plays nicely together.

Now, if I really wanted to be absolutely consistent and stick to ONLY the F Major scale I would have to alter a few things. G# isn't allowed, somaybe we could make that a G and "make it work"? This....

Becomes...

The B note isn't allowed in the F Major scale, so we can change it to an A#.The G# note isn't allowed in the F Major scale, so we can change it to an A. The other G# note (measure 2) isn't allowed, so we can change it to a G. The notes in parantheses have been altered to "fit" the F Major scale. This is nowhere NEAR as cool sounding, but of course we could movesome notes around if we wanted and still make it sound better. However, I think you'll find mixing the F Major and The F Major blues scaletogether to be much cooler sounding.

F Major Scale

Notes Used: F, G, A, A#, C, D, E

Now, that's enough confusion for today, right? How about we just get to some "guaranteed to work" riffs? Here are a few more riffs intentionally designed to be pulled apart in your own riff work.

Using F Major

Now let's head to a higher area on the fretboard:

This still works as you can see below:

F Major Scale

SummaryToday's lesson was also extensive, but as we move through the course less information will be needed in terms of representation. This is going toget really fun once we reach the A style chords because we can create more logical progressions.

Ready To Play?Now it's time to test yourself and play along.

FingerstyleF - F#

Fm - F#m

Full Progression

RiffsThis is the bluesy riff:

*Note: if you would like to play around with just using the F Major you may do so by using the files presented earlier. It's easier than this one so Ididn't feel the need to show it.