The Key of F Minor for Guitar
The key of F minor has the notes F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭, 4 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭), and its relative major is A♭ major.
- Chords
- Fm Gdim A♭ B♭m Cm D♭ E♭
- Main three
- Fm B♭m Cm
- Key signature of F minor
- 4 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭)
Chords in the key
Chords in F minor · moved from F minor · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: F minor (page key)No capo: you play F minor shapes as written.
Fretboard · F minor scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (F). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · i–VI–III–VII
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in F minor, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | F A♭ C |
| ii° | Gdim | G B♭ D♭ |
| III | A♭ | A♭ C E♭ |
| iv | B♭m | B♭ D♭ F |
| v | Cm | C E♭ G |
| VI | D♭ | D♭ F A♭ |
| VII | E♭ | E♭ G B♭ |
Seventh chords in F minor
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | Fm7 | F A♭ C E♭ |
| iiø7 | Gm7♭5 | G B♭ D♭ F |
| IIImaj7 | A♭maj7 | A♭ C E♭ G |
| iv7 | B♭m7 | B♭ D♭ F A♭ |
| v7 | Cm7 | C E♭ G B♭ |
| VImaj7 | D♭maj7 | D♭ F A♭ C |
| VII7 | E♭7 | E♭ G B♭ D♭ |
Shapes for the 7th chords of F minor: C7 chord.
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why F minor has 4 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭)
Every minor scale uses the same step pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. Start that pattern on F and the notes land on F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭, so the key needs B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
F minor scale in first position
Every note of F minor in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, F on the 6th string, fret 1, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: F minor scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in F minor on guitar
F minor has four flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭), the same signature as A♭ major. Only one of the six open strings is in the scale, the G string; the E, A, D and B strings each sit a half step from a scale note, so open strings rarely fit.
Fm is the E-shape minor barre at fret 1 (1 3 3 1 1 1), one of the hardest barres because it is closest to the nut. The small Fm (x x 3 1 1 1) is easier: the index finger covers the top three strings and the ring finger takes F on the D string. B♭m and Cm are A-shape barres at frets 1 and 3; A♭, D♭ and E♭ are major barres; Gdim is rare in songs.
The V chord is where F minor gets easier: C major and C7 (x 3 2 3 1 0) are nearly open shapes. Their E natural comes from the harmonic minor scale and leads up a half step to F, so Fm, B♭m, C7, Fm is a strong, common cadence in this key.
Common progressions in F minor
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| i–VI–III–VII | Fm D♭ A♭ E♭ | Fm D♭ A♭ E♭: with capo 1 these are Em C G D, the open minor loop. |
| i–iv–v–i | Fm B♭m Cm Fm | Fm B♭m Cm Fm: the natural-minor cadence; C7 (x 3 2 3 1 0) in place of Cm is the classic stronger ending. |
| i–VII–VI–VII | Fm E♭ D♭ E♭ | Fm E♭ D♭ E♭: the bass steps F, E♭, D♭, all on barre shapes or Em D C D at capo 1. |
| i–iv–VII–III | Fm B♭m E♭ A♭ | Fm B♭m E♭ A♭: the fifths chain ends on A♭, the relative major. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and F minor
Capo 1 with Em shapes sounds in F minor and keeps every chord open. Capo 3 with Dm shapes is a second option; it suits songs built on Dm, Gm and A, which become Fm, B♭m and C.
| Capo | Fm shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | F♯ minor |
| Fret 2 | G minor |
| Fret 3 | G♯ minor |
| Fret 4 | A minor |
| Fret 5 | B♭ minor |
| Fret 6 | B minor |
| Fret 7 | C minor |
Song in another key? Capo for F minor songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative major: A♭ major
A♭ major uses the same seven notes, starting on A♭, the 3rd note of the scale. Its chord is the III in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of A♭ majorrelative
- The key of F majorparallel
- The key of B♭ minorcircle, one step left
- The key of C minorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about F minor
What chords are in the key of F minor?
Fm, Gdim, A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭ and E♭. Fm (i), B♭m (iv) and Cm (v) are the minor chords; many songs play C or C7 instead of Cm.
How do I play F minor without the full barre?
Use the small Fm (x x 3 1 1 1) on the top four strings, or capo 1 and play Em, which then sounds as Fm.
How many flats does F minor have?
Four: B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭. The scale is F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭.
What is the relative major of F minor?
A♭ major. Same four flats; A♭ is the III chord of F minor.
Next steps in F minor
- Progressions in F minorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- F minor pentatonicthe five-note soloing scale
- F harmonic minorraised 7th: where the major V chord comes from
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along