F5 Guitar Chord
F Power Chord · F–C
F5 is the F power chord chord: F–C. Its sound is raw and powerful — no 3rd means no major or minor quality, just root and fifth driven through an amp.
Because a power chord has no 3rd, F5 is neither major nor minor — it fits over both. Play it with palm muting and distortion and it becomes the engine of punk, hard rock, and metal rhythm playing. The two-finger shape moves anywhere on the neck, so once you know F5, you know all twelve power chords.
The most common way to play F5 is the e-string power chord at the 1st fret (1 3 3 x x x, low E string to high E string). Below you'll find 3 ways to play it across the neck, from open position to barre and shell voicings, with the theory behind the chord and the progressions it lives in.
How to Play F5: 3 Voicings
Frets are listed from the low E string to the high E string. x = don't play that string, 0 = open string.
F5 Chord Theory
| Interval | R | 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Note | F | C |
F5 is built from the F major scale.
F5 Chord FAQ
What notes are in the F5 chord?
F5 contains 2 notes: F (R), C (5). The interval formula for a power chord chord is R–5.
What is the easiest way to play F5 on guitar?
Use the e-string power chord at the 1st fret: 1 3 3 x x x (frets listed from the low E string to the high E string, x = don't play that string). F5 has no open-position shape in standard tuning, so this movable form is the standard starting point.
Is F5 a major or minor chord?
Neither — F5 has no 3rd, the note that decides major versus minor. That ambiguity is exactly why it's useful: it fits over both major and minor harmony.
What keys use the F5 chord?
F5 appears diatonically in F major (as I), C major (as IV), and Bb major (as V) — plus D minor, its relative minor key.
Related Chords
Hear yourself play F5
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