F minor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
F minor

Relative key	A♭ major
Parallel key	F major
Notes in this scale
F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F

F minor is a minor scale that starts on the musical note F. A musical scale is a set of notes played in a specific order. The F minor scale has a unique sound.

In music, a key signature tells you which notes are played higher or lower. The F minor key signature has four flats. When you play the F minor scale, the E♭ note is sometimes changed to an E♮. This creates a slightly different version of the scale called the harmonic minor.

Every minor key has a relative major key. For F minor, its relative major is A-flat major. It also has a parallel major key, which is F major. These keys share some notes or have the same starting note.

Many musicians and listeners connect F minor with strong feelings, like passion or sadness.

Famous Music in F Minor

Many famous composers have written beautiful pieces in F minor. These works often show the passionate or serious feeling of the key.

Here are some well-known pieces:

• Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata
• Haydn's Symphony No. 49 in F minor, La Passione
• Vivaldi's The Four Seasons (specifically the "Winter" concerto)
• Adele - Hello
• Máni Svavarsson - We Are Number One
• String Quartet No. 11, Op. 95 "Serioso" – Ludwig van Beethoven
• Violin Concerto L'inverno, RV 297, Op. 8, No. 4 – Antonio Vivaldi
• Piano Sonata No. 23, Op. 57 (Appassionata) – Ludwig van Beethoven
• Fantasia in F minor – Franz Schubert
• Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49 – Frédéric Chopin
• Harpsichord Concerto No. 5, BWV 1056 – Johann Sebastian Bach
• Ballade No. 4, Op. 52 – Chopin
• Piano Quintet, Op. 34 – Johannes Brahms
• Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 21 – Chopin

F Minor in History

During the Baroque period (roughly 1600-1750), composers often wrote music in F minor using a key signature with only three flats. Even today, some modern versions of this old music still show it written that way.

E-sharp Minor: A Different Name for the Same Sound

E♯ minor

Relative key	G♯ major
Parallel key	E-sharp major (enharmonic F major)
Notes in this scale
E♯, F, G♯, A♯, B♯, C♯, D♯, E♯

Sometimes, a musical key can have two different names but sound exactly the same. This is called being enharmonic. The E-sharp minor scale is an enharmonic equivalent of F minor. This means that if you play the notes of E-sharp minor, they will sound just like the notes of F minor. However, E-sharp minor has a much more complicated key signature with six sharps and one double sharp!

Diatonic Scales and Keys
	Flats Sharps Major minor Major minor 0 C, a 1 F d G e 2 B♭ g D b 3 E♭ c A f♯ 4 A♭ f E c♯ 5 D♭ b♭ B g♯ 6 G♭ e♭ F♯ d♯ 7 C♭ a♭ C♯ a♯ 8 F♭ d♭ G♯ e♯
The table shows the number of sharps or flats in each scale. Minor scales are written in lower case.

See also

In Spanish: Fa menor para niños