How to play Fm (F Minor) on Ukulele
Diagram, notes, and audio for the Fm chord on ukulele. Free in your browser.
About Fm on ukulele
F minor on ukulele is a barre chord. The standard shape uses the index finger to barre the 1st fret across all four strings, with the ring finger on the 3rd fret of the C string. Notes are F, Ab, C. Because beginner uke method books rarely require barre chords until intermediate level, Fm tends to appear later in the curriculum than its major cousin.
Fm is the i chord in F minor (four flats), the iv in C minor, and the vi in Ab major. On ukulele, Fm shows up most often in jazz uke arrangements, in pop ballads that modulate to minor sections, and in classical-fingerstyle material. The relative major is Ab — both keys share the same flats and most of the same chords, just centred on different home notes.
Many ukulele players substitute Fm7 (F-Ab-C-Eb) for Fm because Fm7 sometimes feels easier on the small fretboard — the shape uses the index finger barring the 1st fret with one or two extra fingers added. The 7th-chord version works in nearly any pop or jazz context where Fm appears, and reduces the strain of a full four-string barre on a beginner's hand.
Frequently asked questions
- Is F minor a barre chord on ukulele?
- Yes — the standard F minor on ukulele is a 1st-fret barre. Beginners often substitute Fm7 or skip Fm entirely until they've built barre-chord stamina.
- What three notes are in Fm on ukulele?
- F, Ab, and C — root, minor third, perfect fifth of the F minor scale.
- Can I play F minor without a barre?
- An incomplete three-string voicing exists — fret the 1st fret of the E string and the 3rd fret of the C — but it loses the A string's contribution. The full barre is the canonical shape.
Switch instruments
See Fm on a different instrument — same chord, new diagram.