Fm Guitar Chord | How To Create and Play the F Minor chord
Welcome to our tutorial on the F minor (F m) chord. This chord belongs to the Minor Chords family and is composed of the notes F, Ab, and C. The intervals that build this chord are the Root (1), Minor Third (b3), and Perfect Fifth (5). These intervals are the building blocks of the chord and understanding them is crucial to mastering the F m chord.
Each interval in a chord has a unique name. For instance, the Root is the 1, the Minor Third is the b3, and the Perfect Fifth is the 5. These intervals define the structure and sound of the F m chord. If you're unfamiliar with these terms, don't worry. You can check out this tutorial about fretboard intervals to get a better understanding.
Learning to play the F m chord involves understanding its structure and then applying that knowledge to the fretboard. Chord diagrams and fretboard patterns can be a great help in visualizing the tones that compose the chord. If you're curious about how chords are built by stacking intervals, we have a tutorial that teaches how to build chords by stacking intervals.
Remember, practice is key when learning any new chord. So, spend some time getting familiar with the F m chord and before you know it, you'll be playing it with ease. For more advanced lessons, check out our tutorial on intermediate guitar chords.
Happy strumming!
Notes that compose the F m chord:
FAbC
Tones in the Minor chord:
The F Minor Chord: Keys, Songs and Bar Shapes
The F minor chord is a relative of the dreaded F major chord.
It's a bit easier to play because you don't need to place your ring finger, like in its major version.
However, the standard shape requires a 6 strings barre so it takes time to master it well.
But once you nail it, you can play 12 minor chords by just shifting the shape up or down the neck.
The F Minor Key
Here below we show a table of the F minor key; for us guitarists, it's not the easiest key in the world, though Nirvana composed "Smell Like Teen Spirit" in this key!
| Key | i | ii | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Fm | G dim | Ab | Bbm | Cm | Db | Eb |
Keys With The F Minor Chords
The keys in which the F minor chord is present are not often used on guitar, but we show the most common:
Ab Major Key
In this key, the F minor chord is the relative 6th degree. It's a really hard key for guitar players.
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | Ab | Bbm | Cm | Db | Eb | Fm | G dim |
Db Major Key
Another difficult key for guitarists, as does not use many open strings:
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Db | Db | Ebm | Fm | Gb | Ab | Bbm | C dim |
Bb Minor Key
In this key, the F minor chord acts as a dominant chord.
| Key | i | ii | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bb | Bbm | C dim | Db | Ebm | Fm | Gb | Ab |
Songs with the F Minor
As you already said, "Smell like teen spirit" by Nirvana is in F minor key.
Other popular songs with this chord are "Dream On" by Aerosmith, "Lemon Tree" by Fool's Garden, "Believer" by Ozzy Osbourne.
F Minor Guitar Chord Voicings
Chord boxes are sorted from the easiest to the hardest. Learn how to read chord diagrams.
If you have difficulties with bar chord shapes, check the Bar Chords Tips tutorial.
You can also use this accessible chords page with written diagrams instruction.
Position 1
Movable
Position 2
Movable
Position 3
Movable
Position 4
Movable
Position 5
BarreMovable
Position 6
BarreMovable
Position 7
BarreMovable
Position 8
BarreMovable
Position 9
BarreMovable
You can find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download
the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf
Play This Chord With Other Roots
C m | D m | E m | F m | G m | A m | B m | C#m | D#m | F#m | G#m | A#m | Abm | Bbm | Dbm | Ebm | Gbm
F m guitar chord: fretboard map of the intervals
You can create any fingering you like on any part of the fretboard, just play some of the chord tones shown in the map below. Some shapes will sound good, some less, let your ears decide!