F Minor Scale
The F minor scale has seven notes: F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D♭ and E♭. It has 4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭), and it is the relative minor of A♭ major.
Notes
- F1
- G2
- A♭♭3
- B♭4
- C5
- D♭♭6
- E♭♭7
Step pattern: W – H – W – W – H – W – W (W = whole step, H = half step)
| Degree | Note | Interval from F |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | Root |
| 2 | G | Major 2nd |
| ♭3 | A♭ | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | B♭ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | C | Perfect 5th |
| ♭6 | D♭ | Minor 6th |
| ♭7 | E♭ | Minor 7th |
On the piano
On the guitar
Root Scale tone
Key signature
F minor has 4 flats: B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭. See it on the circle of fifths →
Chords in the key of F minor
| Numeral | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Fm7 |
| ii° | Gdim | Gm7♭5 |
| III | A♭ | A♭maj7 |
| iv | B♭m | B♭m7 |
| v | Cm | Cm7 |
| VI | D♭ | D♭maj7 |
| VII | E♭ | E♭7 |
Common progressions
- Classic minorFm – B♭m – Cmi – iv – v
- Epic / pop minorFm – D♭ – A♭ – E♭i – VI – III – VII
- DescendingFm – E♭ – D♭ – Cmi – VII – VI – v
Related scales
Practise it
- Alternate picking on one stringTechnique · moved down 4 frets into F
- Palm-muted gallopMetal · moved up 1 fret into F
Explore it on the full fretboard · Piano scale explorer · Metronome