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UkuTabs Keys

F Major on Ukulele

The chords in F Major are F, Gm, Am, Bb, C, Dm and Edim. It has one flat (Bb), its relative minor is D Minor, and it is easy to play on a ukulele.

C Major on ukulele C G Major on ukulele G D Major on ukulele D A Major on ukulele A E Major on ukulele E B Major on ukulele B Gb Major on ukulele G♭/F♯ Db Major on ukulele D♭ Ab Major on ukulele A♭ Eb Major on ukulele E♭ Bb Major on ukulele B♭ F Major on ukulele F A Minor on ukulele Am E Minor on ukulele Em B Minor on ukulele Bm F# Minor on ukulele F♯m C# Minor on ukulele C♯m G# Minor on ukulele G♯m Eb Minor on ukulele E♭m Bb Minor on ukulele B♭m F Minor on ukulele Fm C Minor on ukulele Cm G Minor on ukulele Gm D Minor on ukulele Dm You are in F Major
Majors on the outside, their relative minors directly inside. Keys that sit next to each other share almost every note, which is why moving one step around the wheel always sounds natural. Gold rings mark the keys that are easiest to play on a ukulele. Tap any segment to open it.

The chords in F Major

These seven are the whole family. Nearly every song in this key is built from them, in some order. Tap a diagram to hear it and flip through other shapes, or open its page for the full rundown.

ITonic
iiSupertonic
iiiMediant
IVSubdominant
VDominant
viRelative minor
vii°Leading tone

Progressions that work in F Major

Written out in this key so you can play them straight off the page. Each one is a pattern you have heard a thousand times, which is exactly why it works.

The four chords

I - V - vi - IV

F C Dm Bb

Behind more hits than any other four bars. If a song is in this key, try these first.

Three-chord song

I - IV - V

F Bb C

Folk, blues, country and punk. Everything you need to busk in this key.

'50s doo-wop

I - vi - IV - V

F Dm Bb C

Stand By Me and half the jukebox. Warm and instantly familiar.

Jazz turnaround

ii - V - I

Gm C F

The cadence jazz is built on. Add 7ths to all three for the real flavour.

Pop punk

vi - IV - I - V

Dm Bb F C

The same four chords starting on the minor. Moodier opening, same payoff.

Descending

I - V - vi - iii - IV

F C Dm Am Bb

The Canon line. Walks downhill and feels like it is going somewhere.

Chords worth borrowing

Chords from outside F Major that still sound at home in it. One of these dropped into a plain progression is usually the difference between a song that sounds like a beginner exercise and one that does not.

  • C7 V7 The dominant with a 7th on top. Pulls hard back to the tonic.
  • G7 V7/V A dominant aimed at the V chord, so the V feels like a landing.
  • D7 V7/ii Sets up the ii chord. The engine behind most jazz turnarounds.
  • A7 V7/vi Leads into the relative minor for a quick change of mood.
  • Bbm iv The minor subdominant. One borrowed chord, instant wistfulness.
  • Ab bIII Lifted from the parallel minor. Rock and gospel lean on it.
  • Db bVI Big and cinematic. Often walks down into the V.
  • Eb bVII The Mixolydian flat 7. Classic rock in one chord.
  • Fsus4 Isus4 Holds the tonic in suspense for a beat before it resolves.

Other flavours of F

Same home note, different set of notes around it. Swapping the mode is the quickest way to change the mood of something without changing the key it sits in.

  • F Ionian The plain major scale. Bright and settled.
  • F Dorian Minor with a raised 6th. Minor, but hopeful.
  • F Phrygian Minor with a flat 2nd. Spanish and a little tense.
  • F Lydian Major with a raised 4th. Floaty and cinematic.
  • F Mixolydian Major with a flat 7th. The sound of rock and folk.
  • F Aeolian The plain natural minor. Sad in the usual way.
  • F Locrian Unstable by design. Rare outside metal and jazz.

About F Major

A key is the family of notes and chords a song is built around, named after the chord it keeps coming home to. In F Major that home chord is F, and the other six chords above are its relatives. Play them in almost any order and it will sound like music, because they all come from the same seven notes.

F Major shares its key signature and all seven of its chords with D Minor, its relative minor. The only thing that changes is which chord feels like home. That is why a song can drift between the two without anything sounding wrong, and it is also why working out the key from the chords alone is not always possible. The last chord usually settles it.

Either side of it on the wheel sit B♭ Major and C Major, which differ by a single note. Those are the easiest keys to move to if you want a key change, and the first place to look for a chord to borrow.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in F Major?

The seven chords in F Major are F, Gm, Am, Bb, C, Dm and Edim. The three you will use most are F, Bb and C, the I, IV and V.

Is F Major hard to play on ukulele?

It scores 31 on our playability scale, which puts it in the easy band. We work that out from the real shapes: how many strings each chord frets, whether it needs a barre and how far up the neck it sits, weighted so the chords you play all night count for more than the ones you touch once. No capo needed, the open shapes do the work.

What is the relative minor of F Major?

D Minor. It uses exactly the same seven chords and the same key signature, just centred on a different home chord. That is why you can slip between them mid-song without anything sounding out of place.

What key signature does F Major have?

One flat (Bb). It shares that signature with D Minor.

Next stop: look up any shape on the chord diagrams, work out a chord you already know the shape of with the chord namer, run the scale up the neck on scales, or get in tune first with the tuner.

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