F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (2024)

  • Guitar Chords
  • F Chords

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (1)

Welcome to our tutorial on the F minor (F m) chord. This chord belongs to the Minor Chords family and is composed of the notes F, Ab, and C. The intervals that build this chord are the Root (1), Minor Third (b3), and Perfect Fifth (5). These intervals are the building blocks of the chord and understanding them is crucial to mastering the F m chord.

Each interval in a chord has a unique name. For instance, the Root is the 1, the Minor Third is the b3, and the Perfect Fifth is the 5. These intervals define the structure and sound of the F m chord. If you're unfamiliar with these terms, don't worry. You can check out this tutorial about fretboard intervals to get a better understanding.

Learning to play the F m chord involves understanding its structure and then applying that knowledge to the fretboard. Chord diagrams and fretboard patterns can be a great help in visualizing the tones that compose the chord. If you're curious about how chords are built by stacking intervals, we have a tutorial that teaches how to build chords by stacking intervals.

Remember, practice is key when learning any new chord. So, spend some time getting familiar with the F m chord and before you know it, you'll be playing it with ease. For more advanced lessons, check out our tutorial on intermediate guitar chords.

Happy strumming!

Notes that compose the F m chord:

FAbC

Tones in the Minor chord:

1

b2

2

b3

3

4

b5

5

#5

6

b7

7

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.

F Minor Guitar Chord Voicings

Chord boxes are sorted from the easiest to the hardest. Learn how to read chord diagrams.

If you have difficulties with bar chord shapes, check the Bar Chords Tips tutorial.

You can also use this accessible chords page with written diagrams instruction.

Position 1
Movable

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (2)

Position 2
Movable

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (3)

Position 3
Movable

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (4)

Position 4
Movable

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (5)

Position 5
BarreMovable

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (6)

Position 6
BarreMovable

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (7)

Position 7
BarreMovable

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (8)

Position 8
BarreMovable

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (9)

Position 9
BarreMovable

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (10)

You can 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

F m guitar chord: fretboard map of the intervals

You can create any fingering you like on any part of the fretboard, just play some of the chord tones shown in the map below. Some shapes will sound good, some less, let your ears decide!

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

1

b3

5

1

5

1

b3

5

1

b3

5

1

b3

5

1

b3

5

1

b3

5

1

b3

5

1

F m chord on guitar: charts and variations (2024)
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