EASIEST Way To Play F#m Chord for Beginners - No Barre Chord! | Beginner Guitar Lessons

Learn the easiest way to play the F#m (F sharp minor) chord without using a barre chord! This version is great for fingerstyle AND strumming! We will learn the shape itself, incorporate it with some basic strumming, learn how to use it in the context of a chord progression AND a song that uses it. My goal is to help you switch to this F#m for beginners with comfort and ease.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

0:00 - INTRO
1:22 - THE F#m SHAPE
2:28 - GETTING COMFORTABLE
2:51 - F#m IN A PROGRESSION
5:25 - F#m IN A SONG
6:15 - FAREWELL MESSAGE

The lesson begins with the shape itself, but before we can play the shape, we need to figure out which fingers to use. I illustrate this on the screen from your perspective.

We'll be learning easy F sharp minor in two parts: Our second, third and fourth fingers will play an A major shape, and then we add our index finger to finish it. The fact that the A chord is embedded within it, makes this shape incredibly easy to remember, and with a little bit of practice you will get it into your muscle memory in no time!

One of my favorite parts about this shape is that the two strings that we aren't pressing (A and high E) - it doesn't matter if they're muted or if they ring open. It will sound good either way. That means strumming it will be no issue! We add a little bit of strumming just to test out each string and make sure that it sounds okay.

Once we're comfortable with this shape, we can add it to a chord progression. I've chosen the most common chord progression ever in the key of A. We need to pay attention to the chord that comes before this easy F sharp minor and the chord that comes after it because those are the two switches we're going to need to make. We break it all down we practice the switches and then we put our chord progression together.

At this point you're able to play that easy F sharp minor chord, but I also have a song suggestion: "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King. In that song, you'll find F sharp minor after an A chord and before a D chord. That means we need to switch from F sharp minor to A and from F sharp minor to D - illustrating what we practiced earlier in the lesson. Next week I'll be releasing an easy acoustic lesson for "Don't Let Me Down" by The Beatles, which also uses this shape, so stay tuned!

Enjoy!
-James

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#beginnerguitar #guitarlesson #guitartutorial

[Good_Guitarist]

We'll be using this F#m shape in an easy acoustic version "Don't Let Me Down" by The Beatles next time, so stay tuned!

[maryannvillarreal]

I so love this video...just the best teaching method for my brain wow....ADHD lost this one...THANK YOU MY BRAIN GETS IT!! have watched so many videos and this one has done it....hyper fixed on this and need more now I'm interested in learning

[jensheahan]

Finally! wow so i’ve been looking for you on youtube since youtube started and thank you that was so helpful and it’s a gift made my night i can go play and use it works!

[timoconnell]

this was so helpful, thank you so much! I wanted to learn this chord for Jack Johnson's upside down. Downloaded the E-book, and you fs earned a sub!

[Quan-jyue]

Thanks James. Your chord progression series helped me alot understanding minor and major etc. Now i am able to come up with my own progressions. Playing around with F# will be fun

[lucaaa]

Omg THANK YOU this is perfect cause I really struggle with this chords <3 Sorry for my english 😅 Your Videos are so helping for beginner they really made more confident in playing... <3

[TheRealBarkinMadd]

Downloaded your free eBook - awesome - highly recommended. Thanks!!!

[mikaarho]

Thank you ! Your videos are so awesome, thank you.

[dansmanadans]

I like your lessons. short enough to catch long enough to understand. good job

[benlively]

So two fingers - 1 (pointer)on low e string and 2 (middle finger barring the D, G, and B on the 2nd fret. Even sweeter!

[eltoncarvalho]

Yeah you are a very good teacher definitely. Thank you

[williammorris]

Nice one, an "easy way" that really is!

[cheezil]

Great lesson, thanks! How do you get it in key of A plz? No capo? You mentioned key of G was capo at 2nd fret?

[paulcockerill]

If you move that shape up one fret does it become G minor?

[Bring_the_games]

What a Coninsident I was watching how to play stand by me befor this 😅
And now f#m is easy suddenly which was very hard a few minutes ago

[franciskarungi]

appreciated, Can u please show the bar part of it?

[theseeingeye]

I hope this helps with Phil Ochs' "Changes" But it's got the 'Devil Chord' (F#m ) smack in the middle of every verse followed by Bm..Two brutal barre chords.. Any easy way around these two frustrating chords ?

[Bobbycett]

whats the song at the beginning of the video?

[alexhernandez]

For me to do that cord . I'm going to have to put my fingers on a diet 😆😆😆

[benlively]

With shortcuts, there’s no need to learn the “right” way! lol. It becomes the new, “right” way