Train Your Ear: F m Guitar Chord with Live Mic Feedback

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Fm, the F minor chord, is made of F, Ab and C. No voicing on this page leaves a string open: all nine are fretted, and five of them are barre shapes.

Fm is the vi chord in Ab major, the ii chord in Eb major and the iii chord in C# major. Five of the nine shapes use a barre, so it is a place to practise barre chord technique. All three notes sit inside the F minor scale.

Switch on the drum loop in the player at the top, set a slow bpm and hold the shape through a few bars.

F minor guitar chord is also written as Fm, Fmin, F- or Fmi.

Notes that compose the F m chord:

F Ab C

Tones in the Minor chord:

Formula: 1 b3 5

F M Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the low E, G, B and high E strings at the same time
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the A string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the D string

Position 2 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the high E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the B string

Position 3 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the A and high E strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 9 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 10 of the G string

Position 4 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the G, B and high E strings at the same time
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the D string

Position 5 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the G, B and high E strings at the same time
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the A string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the D string

Position 6 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Mute the D string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the high E string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 9 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the G string

Position 7 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 6 of the D string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the B string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 of the A string

Position 8 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 10 of the D and G strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 11 of the A string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 13 of the low E string

Position 9 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Mute the D string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the high E string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the B string

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

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.

Want to Learn Everything About Chords?

Check Chords Domination out: a unique ebook that shows you finger positions, note names and intervals in the chords (plus a tones fretboard maps)

You'll learn how to play 44 chords types across all the fretboard, with many voicings and fingerings

In the ebook you can also find maps show you the tones in a chord all along the fretboard. They are incredibly helpful because allow you to:

Create new voicings on the fly, across all the neck
Improvise targeting the right notes
Unlock the fretboard and expand the CAGED system.

In the new ebook, Chords Domination, you'll find the fretboard tones maps for 44 different qualities of chords. Check it out:

Download Free Excerpt Learn More Here

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

Which notes make up Fm?

F, Ab and C. Ab is the minor third, three semitones from F, and C is the perfect fifth.

Which major keys contain Fm?

Fm is the vi chord in Ab major, the ii chord in Eb major and the iii chord in C# major. It is the i chord in F minor.

How many ways are there to play F minor on guitar?

There are nine voicings, five of them using a barre and none using open strings. They run from fret 1 to fret 13.

How does Fm differ from F major?

F major is F, A and C. Fm lowers A to Ab, a one-semitone change that makes the third minor.

Which scale fits Fm?

The F minor scale: F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db and Eb. All three notes of Fm sit in it.