Chord · F Minor (1st Inversion)
Fm/♭3 Chord
Fm/♭3 is Ab, C and F — minor triad with the third in the bass.
Fm/♭3 on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 1 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Fm/♭3 is made of
F Minor (1st Inversion) (F minor (1st inversion)) is built from the notes Ab, C, F, with the interval pattern b3, 5, 1. A common minor (1st inversion) chord across many styles.
Stack b3, 5 and 1 on a root of F and you get Ab, C and F. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor first inversion chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cm/♭3 sounds like a transposed Fm/♭3.
Minor (1st Inversion): Minor triad with the third in the bass.
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/♭3
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 first inversion shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Fm/b3
- What notes are in the Fm/b3 chord?
- Fm/b3 is made of Ab, C and F — the b3, 5 and 1 degrees of a minor first inversion chord built on F.
- What keys use the Fm/b3 chord?
- Every note of Fm/b3 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/b3 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Fm/b3 on piano — 1 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/♭3 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.