It’s one of the toughest beginner triads, but once you master it, a world of funky songs opens up to you. We are, of course, talking about the F major. Below, you will find four songs that all revolve around this chord of the week. For more Chordify madness check out our Instagram.
The F chord is part of the F major scale. This consists of the notes F, G, A, Bb (or A#), C, D, and E. Of course, their tones are inseparable from the chords that perfectly match our triad of the week. And let’s just say that all these chords come back in a lot of funky songs.
ABC – Jackson Five
How about we drop the groove on you. “ABC” by Jackson Five is a good example of how funky the F can be. Pay attention, because there are a lot of seventh chords in this song. These are not more difficult than the major chords, it mainly comes down to the ‘art of omitting’ as far as the fingering goes.
In the end, it’s all about the basic chords from the F major scale. Only in this song, they are used in a funky kind of way, which means a lot of seventh chords. For example, A7, Bb7, and B7. Pay close attention to your finger placement. Notice that leaving out just one finger is the difference between a seventh and a major chord.
Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac may not be your prototype funk groove, but if you listen more closely to the bass line, you can’t resist bouncing on the first beat of every bar. As far as the chord progression goes, this song should be a piece of cake. You mainly have to play G, F, and Am, which are quite basic chords.
The Fmaj7 that occurs a number of times in the track is an interesting chord. Visually, looking at the fingering, it is particularly striking that it is an inverted F major. This is a good mnemonic device for recognizing and playing maj7 chords.
Mi Limon Mi Limonero – Henry Stephen
“Mi Limon Mi Limonero” by Henry Stephen is a classic. The song has been copied countless times. It has a nice rhythm and the chord progression is challenging, but even for the beginner achievable. The main triads are the F, the G, and the C. You will find variations on these chords in the form of a minor and a seventh. But as long as you master your basics, nothing should go wrong while jamming.
Nightcall – Kavinsky
“Nightcall” by producer Kavinsky is used in the title sequence of the 2011 movie “Drive.” A dark, yet uplifting beat. Now is the time to borrow your sister’s synthesizer. This track consists mainly of minor chords. This makes it gloomy and dark.
If you decide to play this track on a guitar, pay attention. It’s for the more advanced guitarist as you work with a lot of barré chords. When playing along pay a closer look at the way the third of the chords changes with respect to the major triad. Happy jamming!