Minor scale · 7 notes
F minor scale on guitar
The F minor scale has 7 notes: F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D♭ and E♭. The natural minor scale: the major scale’s darker twin, with a ♭3, ♭6 and ♭7.
Notes
- F
- G
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D♭
- E♭
Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps
W – H – W – W – H – W – W
Sound
Dark, sad or serious, without being exotic
F minor on the whole fretboard
Every F minor note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, F, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
F at fret 1. Open position: frets 0–4.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of F minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from F, the F minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 4 flats (A♭, B♭, D♭ and E♭). Compared with F major, it has A♭ (♭3) instead of A, D♭ (♭6) instead of D and E♭ (♭7) instead of E.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | root | 0 |
| 2 | G | major 2nd | 2 |
| ♭3 | A♭ | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | B♭ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | C | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭6 | D♭ | minor 6th | 8 |
| ♭7 | E♭ | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords in F minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to F minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in F minor.
- iFmF · A♭ · CFm7
- ii°G°G · B♭ · D♭Gm7♭5
- ♭IIIA♭A♭ · C · E♭A♭maj7
- ivB♭mB♭ · D♭ · FB♭m7
- vCmC · E♭ · GCm7
- ♭VID♭D♭ · F · A♭D♭maj7
- ♭VIIE♭E♭ · G · B♭E♭7
Progressions to try
- Fm – D♭ – A♭ – E♭ i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII · epic rock/pop
- Fm – B♭m – Cm i–iv–v · minor blues-style
- Fm – E♭ – D♭ – E♭ i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII · rock riffing
- Fm – B♭m – E♭ – A♭ i–iv–♭VII–♭III · circle movement
How to use F minor
Reach for it over songs in a minor key, over minor and minor 7th chords, and in rock, metal, pop ballads and folk. Its sound is dark, sad or serious, without being exotic.
Tip: Every minor scale shares its notes with a major scale three frets higher. If you know G major, you already know E minor: just treat E as home.
- F minor is the relative minor of A♭ major, so the two share all seven notes. See A♭ major.
- F minor contains exactly the notes of A♭ major, played from its Aeolian note, F. See A♭ major.
Where to find F on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every F between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with F |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 1 |
| B (2nd) | 6 |
| G (3rd) | 10 |
| D (4th) | 3 |
| A (5th) | 8 |
| Low E (6th) | 1 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as F minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
F minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the F minor scale?
The F minor scale has 7 notes: F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D♭ and E♭. Its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. It contains 4 flats (A♭, B♭, D♭ and E♭).
What chords are in F minor?
Harmonising the F minor scale in thirds gives Fm (i), G° (ii°), A♭ (♭III), B♭m (iv), Cm (v), D♭ (♭VI) and E♭ (♭VII).
Where do you play the F minor scale on guitar?
The root, F, is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 0–4, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as F minor?
F minor is the relative minor of A♭ major, so the two share all seven notes. F minor contains exactly the notes of A♭ major, played from its Aeolian note, F.