F minor
How to play Fm — Minor
Fm (Minor)F · A♭ · C
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
F minor — notes and structure
The Fm chord has a darker, sadder sound than its major counterpart, thanks to the lowered third.
The Fm minor consists of the notes F, A♭, C. Its interval structure is R–3–5 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
Fm stacks a minor third (A♭) and a perfect fifth (C) above the root F.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Fm — an open-position shape reaching up to the 6th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
What key is Fm in?
Every note of Fm belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- E♭ major — the ii chord
- A♭ major — the vi chord
- D♭ major — the iii chord
- C minor — the iv chord
Chords that go with Fm
In E♭ major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Fm next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the F minor chord?
- The Fm chord contains the notes F, A♭, C. It has a darker, sadder sound than its major counterpart, thanks to the lowered third.
- How many ways can you play Fm on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Fm a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
- What key does Fm belong to?
- Fm fits E♭ major (where it is the ii chord), A♭ major (where it is the vi chord), D♭ major (where it is the iii chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.