Am to F chord change
Your index finger stays down; your middle finger moves across to another string on the same fret; your ring finger lifts and moves; your little finger goes down fresh. Your strumming hand changes too: Am starts on the A string, F uses all six strings.
Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little finger. o means play the string open, ✕ means don’t play it.
Why this change matters
Am to F is vi to IV in the key of C: the last two chords of the C, G, Am, F loop.
Am to F is one of the harder beginner changes, helped by the index finger that stays put. Going back from F to Am, make the same moves in reverse: the index finger still stays put.
Finger by finger
- Moves across, same fretMiddle finger (2) moves across from the D string to the G string, staying on the 2nd fret.
- Lifts and movesRing finger (3) lifts and moves from the G string, 2nd fret to the A string, 3rd fret.
- Goes downLittle finger (4) goes down on the D string, 3rd fret.
| Finger | On Am | On F | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Index finger (1) | B string, 1st fret | barre across all six strings, 1st fret | Stays, becomes a barre |
| Middle finger (2) | D string, 2nd fret | G string, 2nd fret | Moves across, same fret |
| Ring finger (3) | G string, 2nd fret | A string, 3rd fret | Lifts and moves |
| Little finger (4) | not used | D string, 3rd fret | Goes down |
How to practise Am to F
- Play Am and pick each string on its own. Fix any string that buzzes before you start changing.
- Find your anchor: keep the index finger pressed down the whole time. It holds your hand in place, so the other fingers only have a short trip.
- Lead with the ring finger: it has the furthest to go (to the A string, 3rd fret). Aim it first and let the other fingers follow.
- Do “ghost changes”: switch from Am to F and back 20 times without strumming. Lift your fingers only just off the strings, and land them all together.
- Now strum: four strums on Am, four on F. When that is clean, try two strums each, then one.
- Time yourself with the trainer below: one minute, counting every clean change. Do it once a day and watch the number climb.
An easier way to play it
Am to F (Small F on the top four strings): the index finger stays down. It is the same pair of chords, just fingered so the change is shorter.
- Moves across, same fretMiddle finger (2) moves across from the D string to the G string, staying on the 2nd fret.
- Lifts and movesRing finger (3) lifts and moves from the G string, 2nd fret to the D string, 3rd fret.
Am to Fmaj7: the index finger stays down. This version sounds a little different from Am to F, because Fmaj7 replaces F. It works well in many songs, but check that it suits the one you are playing.
- Stays putIndex finger (1) stays put on the B string, 1st fret.
- Moves across, same fretMiddle finger (2) moves across from the D string to the G string, staying on the 2nd fret.
- Lifts and movesRing finger (3) lifts and moves from the G string, 2nd fret to the D string, 3rd fret.
One-minute Am to F trainer
Press Start, hold Am through the count-in, then change back and forth for one minute. Tap the big button (or press the space bar) every time you land a clean chord. Your best score is kept.
Want other chords? Open the full chord change trainer.
Songs that use Am to F
These songs in our free song library change between Am and F. Each one has a play-along that counts you in and lights up the chord to play.
Am to F: questions
Which finger stays down when you change from Am to F?
Your index finger stays on the same spot in both chords, so it anchors your hand while the other fingers move.
How do I change from Am to F faster?
Practise the change on its own, not inside a song. Lift your fingers only just off the strings, land them all at once, and lead with the finger that has the longest trip. Then do one minute of changes a day with a timer and count them. If it still feels slow, try the easier version: Am to F.
How many Am to F changes a minute is good?
Count every clean change: Am to F is one, and back again is two. Around 30 in a minute is a solid start and enough for slow songs. At 40 most songs at a relaxed tempo start to flow, and at about 60 (one change a second) the change is ready for almost anything.
What songs use Am and F?
In our free song library, Barbara Allen, House of the Rising Sun, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out and Wayfaring Stranger use it. Am to F is vi to IV in the key of C: the last two chords of the C, G, Am, F loop.
Is F to Am the same as Am to F?
It uses the same moves in reverse, and the index finger still stays put. Practise both directions: the trainer counts each switch either way.
More chord changes
Learn the chords in the right order
Fretwork’s lessons teach one chord at a time, with a ring test and a one-minute change check before you move on. The first two stages are free.