How to play Fm (F Minor) on Guitar
Diagram, notes, and audio for the Fm chord on guitar. Free in your browser.
About Fm on guitar
F minor on guitar is, like F major, almost always played as a barre chord. The standard form is the 1st-fret barre using the E-minor shape: index across all six strings at the 1st fret, with fingers three and four on the 3rd fret of the A and D strings. The chord notes are F, Ab, and C — the i chord of F minor (four flats: Bb, Eb, Ab, Db) and a regular guest in jazz, blues, and minor-key pop.
Many beginners use a simplified four-string Fm: skip the bottom two strings, partial-barre the 1st fret of the high E and B with the index, add a finger on the 3rd fret of the D for F. This voicing covers most rhythm-guitar contexts without demanding a full barre. Fm shows up most often in jazz standards (Body and Soul, Misty modulate around it), and as a chromatic passing chord in pop songs in C, F, or Bb.
The relative major of F minor is Ab major; both keys share the same four flats. Pairing Fm with Cm, Bbm, Eb, and Ab gives the natural-minor diatonic palette of F minor — a powerful set of chords for any songwriter willing to navigate the four-flat key signature. Famous Fm-rooted songs include sections of Adele ballads (in capo positions), countless jazz lead sheets, and minor-key film cues.
Frequently asked questions
- Is F minor harder than F major on guitar?
- Slightly easier than full F major because Fm uses the simpler E-minor barre shape. Both still require a 1st-fret barre, which is the harder part — the chord shape itself doesn't change much.
- What are the notes in an F minor chord?
- F, Ab, and C — the root, minor third, and perfect fifth of the F minor scale.
- Can I avoid the Fm barre?
- Yes — a four-string Fm uses just the top four strings and a partial barre on the 1st fret of the B and high E. It loses the low-string punch but works for most acoustic contexts.
Switch instruments
See Fm on a different instrument — same chord, new diagram.