The F Minor Scale
The notes of F minor are F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb — formula 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. Key signature: four flats (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db). Its relative major is Ab major, which uses the same notes from a different home. Below: the full neck, the chords in the key, and the pentatonic that lives inside it.
F minor on the fretboard
Practice F minor position by position — interactive fretboard →
Chords in the key of F minor
Harmonising the scale gives the seven chords songs in F minor are built from:
| Degree | i | ii° | bIII | iv | v | bVI | bVII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chord | Fm | Gdim | Ab | Bbm | Cm | Db | Eb |
The core minor progression is i–iv–v (Fm, Bbm, Cm); songs wanting a stronger pull home borrow a major V (C) from the harmonic minor.
The F minor pentatonic shortcut
For soloing in F minor, most players reach first for the minor pentatonic — the same scale minus the two most clash-prone notes. F minor pentatonic: F, Ab, Bb, C, Eb.
Jam in F minor
Scales stick when you use them over music. Open JamLab — its key stepper transposes any minor-mode track into F minor without changing tempo.