Chord · F Minor
Fm Chord
Fm is F, Ab and C — dark, melancholic.
Fm on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Fm is made of
Fm (F minor) is built from the notes F, Ab, C, with the interval pattern 1, b3, 5.
Stack 1, b3 and 5 on a root of F and you get F, Ab and C. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cm sounds like a transposed Fm.
Minor: Dark, melancholic.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with A♭ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Fm
All 3 notes sit inside the scale of 8 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Other chords on F
Same root, different colour.
The same minor shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Fm
- What notes are in the Fm chord?
- Fm is made of F, Ab and C — the 1, b3 and 5 degrees of a minor chord built on F.
- What keys use the Fm chord?
- Every note of Fm belongs to 8 keys: Eb Major (ii), Ab Major (vi), Db Major (iii), C# Major (iii), C Minor (iv), F Minor (i), Bb Minor (v), A# Minor (v). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Fm on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Fm on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 18 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Fm behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.