What notes are in an F minor chord?

F minor contains three notes: F (the root), A♭ (the minor third), and C (the perfect fifth).

How do you play F minor on guitar?

Most commonly an E-shape barre at the 1st fret: index finger across all six strings on the 1st fret, ring finger on the 3rd fret of the 5th string, pinky on the 3rd fret of the 4th string. The 3rd-string note (A♭) sounds from the barre alone.

What's the difference between F minor and F major?

Only the third changes. F major has A natural; F minor has A♭. The root (F) and fifth (C) are the same in both.

What pieces are famous in F minor?

Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata Op. 57, Chopin's Ballade No. 4 Op. 52, his Fantaisie Op. 49, and Brahms' Piano Sonata No. 3 Op. 5 are all in F minor. The key carries strong associations with passion, struggle, and melancholy.

F minor chord — notes, intervals, and practice

F minor is one of the darker minor keys, its four-flat signature giving it a distinctly heavy, melancholic colour. The chord contains F, A♭, and C. Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata, Chopin's F minor Ballade, and Brahms' F minor Piano Sonata are all anchored here. F minor is the relative minor of A♭ major, and the two keys share their key signature.

Intervals

The F minor chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

F→Abminor 3rd3 semitones
Ab→Cmajor 3rd4 semitones
F→Cperfect 5th7 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the F minor chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the F minor chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

F minor's third is A♭, not A. The key signature carries the flat implicitly, but if you're reading lead sheets without a key signature you have to know it belongs there. On piano, the chord falls under the hand as white-black-white (F, then the black key just left of A, then C). On guitar, F minor is most commonly an E-shape barre at the 1st fret — and like F major, it's a famous early-stage hurdle for barre technique.

In context

F minor is the i chord in F minor, the vi chord in A♭ major, the ii chord in E♭ major, and the iii in D♭ major. Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata Op. 57 builds entire movements around the F minor triad; the opening of Chopin's F minor Ballade Op. 52 is one of the most famous moments in the piano repertoire. The progression Fm-A♭-E♭-B♭ (i-III-VII-IV) underlies a lot of folk and metal music.

Drill it

The F minor chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

Open the Chord Trainer →Or try today's Etudle puzzle

Frequently asked

What notes are in an F minor chord?: F minor contains three notes: F (the root), A♭ (the minor third), and C (the perfect fifth).
How do you play F minor on guitar?: Most commonly an E-shape barre at the 1st fret: index finger across all six strings on the 1st fret, ring finger on the 3rd fret of the 5th string, pinky on the 3rd fret of the 4th string. The 3rd-string note (A♭) sounds from the barre alone.
What's the difference between F minor and F major?: Only the third changes. F major has A natural; F minor has A♭. The root (F) and fifth (C) are the same in both.
What pieces are famous in F minor?: Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata Op. 57, Chopin's Ballade No. 4 Op. 52, his Fantaisie Op. 49, and Brahms' Piano Sonata No. 3 Op. 5 are all in F minor. The key carries strong associations with passion, struggle, and melancholy.