Guitar scale · natural minor, Aeolian mode
F Minor Scale
Emotional, sad, and epic tones defined by the classic natural minor scale.
Tap any note to hear it.
F Minor Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------1-3-4-| B|-------------------------2-4-------| G|-------------------1-3-5-----------| D|-------------1-3-5-----------------| A|-------1-3-4-----------------------| E|-1-3-4-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------3-4-6-| B|-------------------------4-6-------| G|-------------------3-5-6-----------| D|-------------3-5-6-----------------| A|-------3-4-6-----------------------| E|-3-4-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------6-8-9-| B|-----------------------6-8-9-------| G|-----------------5-6-8-------------| D|-----------5-6-8-------------------| A|-------6-8-------------------------| E|-6-8-9-----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------8-9-11-| B|--------------------------------9-11--------| G|------------------------8-10-12-------------| D|----------------8-10-11---------------------| A|--------8-10-11-----------------------------| E|-8-9-11-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-| B|----------------------------------11-13-14-------| G|-------------------------10-12-13----------------| D|----------------10-11-13-------------------------| A|-------10-11-13----------------------------------| E|-11-13-------------------------------------------|
How to play F Minor on guitar
Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 1–5. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
F Minor uses exactly the same notes as Ab major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the Ab Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | F |
| 2 | G |
| ♭3 | Ab |
| 4 | Bb |
| 5 | C |
| ♭6 | Db |
| ♭7 | Eb |
Chords in F Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Fm7 | Tonic |
| ii° | Gdim | Gm7b5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III | Ab | Abmaj7 | Mediant |
| iv | Bbm | Bbm7 | Subdominant |
| v | Cm | Cm7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Db | Dbmaj7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | Eb | Eb7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F Minor anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the F Minor Scale?
- The F Minor Scale has 7 notes: F, G, Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb.
- What chords are in the F Minor Scale?
- The chords of F Minor are Fm (i), Gdim (ii°), Ab (♭III), Bbm (iv), Cm (v), Db (♭VI), Eb (♭VII).
- What is the formula of the minor scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play F Minor on the guitar?
- The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.