The F minor chord is one of the first barre chords any guitarist should learn, it’s relatively easy and has become a famous chord in the heavier genres of music. This chord is commonly used in metal, hard rock, and blues! Of course, pop musicians have also used this chord. The sound that F minor produces can be interpreted as melancholic, dark, or mysterious depending on how it is played.
If you’d like to compose using this chord, then you may wish to explore the other chords that are in the key of Fm such as G diminished, Ab+, Bbm, C, Db, and E diminished. Alternatively, the Fm chord can also be found in other keys such as Bb minor, C minor, and Ab major, among others!
Since the standard version of the Fm chord is a barre chord, we’ll show you some alternatives to play this chord, from the easiest to the most challenging. Therefore, you’ll have options while you’re still learning to play good-sounding bar chords! Without further ado, let’s explore some F minor chord shapes!
Easy F Minor Chord Shape
This version of the Fm chord is the simplest shape and it shares some of the notes that the standard Fm chord has. All you must do here is play the first three strings while pressing the first fret! Follow the next image to learn how to play this simplified version of the standard Fm chord:
See? It’s pretty simple, and you can also try playing those three notes only with your index finger. That way, you’ll also be practicing the elemental aspect of bar chords, and that is to play several notes with only your index finger.
F Minor Triad Chord Shapes
Exploring the different shapes and note positioning of the Fm chord along the fretboard can help you have different alternatives for playing this chord. Knowing to play the different chord triads also makes you a better musician, since each of these shapes has its sound and feeling, even though they’re all Fm chords. Let’s explore some of these chord shapes:
Standard F Minor Chord Shape
The standard shape of the Fm chord can be a little challenging for those who are starting to learn how to play guitar, but anyone can learn how to play with time and practice! Moreover, this barre chord is one of the best ways to learn how to play first.
We recommend you follow these tips to get your hand used to play barre chords:
- Press with the side of your index finger the whole set of strings on the first frets. For now, just use that finger until you produce a good sound out of all the strings.
- As soon as you can play all the notes with your index finger pressing them, you can proceed to place the other fingers where they belong to play the chord.
- Practice the chord as much as you can. You can do that by pressing and releasing the strings while following the shape.
Now let’s check the standard Fm chord shape:
F Minor Chord Barre Chord Shape
If you feel like one barre chord isn’t enough, here we have another one for you! This one starts on the 8th fret, but we’re going to avoid playing the 6th string.
We recommend you learn the standard version first. As soon as you have that one, you can move along to this one. Follow the next image to learn how to play this barre chord alternative:
Alternative Fm Chord Shapes
Here we have some alternative chords that you can use instead of the examples given above. On this list, you’ll find the Fm7 chord and the F power chord. These two chords are simplified versions of the Fm standard chord, in case you find the other chords a little too bright-sounding.
Follow the next images to learn how to play these chords:
