Right. "F" is used as a passing note. However, I literally view it as in the key of F, playing to the 6 instead of the 1. It sounds like semantics but for me it really makes a difference (bass player). If I view this in my mind as a "minor" key, I'd have to wipe the slate clean and come up with a new pattern called "minor," (more stuff to remember for the purpose of remembering the exact same notes).
Somewhere along the way I thought, "Wait. I can keep my major and play into it from the 6th position?" From that moment on, I play EVERYTHING using the major scale sometimes with slight alterations, cutting my weight in half. But I don't know if that mental view will help a piano player see things easier.
Tony