Many beginner guitarists get discouraged when they meet the F bar chord.
This chord is a very difficult one to play and tackling it too early in your playing career can be off putting.
You might be just a little demotivated, or worse, decide that you could never learn to play guitar.
But fret not, it is perfectly normal if you are having a hard time learning it.
Many guitarists, even experienced ones, have trouble playing it correctly.
So, put off learning this fearsome chord for a while thanks to the tips below that show you alternatives that will give you a gradual approach.
1.
Choose your key When you start learning guitar the G and D keys are the best to play.
You can then go on to learn chords in the keys of A and then E.
These four keys let you play literally thousands of songs and none of them includes the F major chord.
The key of F is most often used in the key of C.
This key is often used by beginners in music because it is a popular key for playing piano; this instrument is the foundation of western music theory.
C is probably the easiest key to play on the piano because it uses only the white notes on the keyboard.
On the guitar, though, it forces you to play the difficult F chord, so it's best avoided.
2.
Use a capo Play in the key of C with a capo to avoid the F bar chord.
The capo is a small device that changes the key when fitted to your guitar's neck.
For example, with a capo at the third fret the open chords A, D and E are in fact the chords C, F and G - the key of C and no bar chord in sight.
3.
Three note F chord You can play the F major chord with just three essential notes, the root, 3rd and 5th.
These three notes are referred to as a triad.
Guitarists commonly use triads to create new sounds when playing chords or soloing.
Finger the F triad at the head of the guitar neck as shown in the diagram below.
Strum only the fourth, third and second strings; respectively the root, 3rd and 5th notes of the chord.

e x||-|-|-| b ||-1-|-|-| g ||-|-2-|-| d ||-|-|-3-| a x||-|-|-| E x||-|-|-| If you do hit the high e string you will obtain an F major 7 chord.
It will still sound OK in the key of C, but to get a good F sound concentrate on avoiding the e string with your strum.
You can lean your first finger down a little to mute it as a help.
4.
E chord shape Finger the familiar open E chord one fret up from its usual position, with your first finger on the 2nd fret.
This is a different fingering you can use to play the F triad.
Strum only the fifth, fourth and third strings which are the 5th, root and 3rd notes of the chord respectively.
5.
Use a D chord form up the neck This time you use yet another F triad further up the neck at the 5th fret.
The fingering is the same as the open D chord.
Just move the D chord up three frets and strum the top three strings for an F chord.

Vth fret e ||-1-|-|-| b ||-|-3-|-| g ||-2-|-|-| d x||-|-|-| a x||-|-|-| E x||-|-|-| These five tips show you how you can avoid playing the F bar chord.
Use them to enjoy your guitar and build confidence before tackling this tricky chord form.