Triads
F♯ major chord
Bright, stable and resolved — the foundation of most songs.
F♯ is the I chord in F♯ major, IV in D♭ major and V in B major. In minor keys: III in E♭ minor, V in B minor, VI in B♭ minor and VII in G♯ minor.
- Notes
- F♯A♯C♯
- Formula
- 135
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th
How to play F♯
About the F♯ major chord
F♯ major has six sharps (its twin, G♭ major, has six flats), so it’s more common in guitar songs played with a capo and in piano music that sits on the black keys than in beginner material.
Playing it
There’s no open-string way to play F♯ on guitar with the root in the bass, so the standard shape is a barre across the 2nd fret (244322). While you build strength, you can play just the top four strings of the same shape (xx4322).
On piano, every note of F♯ is a black key.
On ukulele the usual F♯ shape is 3121, using four fingers.
Related chords
F♯ shares two of its three notes with D♯m (F♯ and A♯), its relative minor, and with A♯m (A♯ and C♯). That overlap is why these chords sound so natural next to each other — and why they can often stand in for one another.
Move a single note and F♯ becomes a different chord: lower A♯ to A for F♯m, add E for F♯7, add E♯ for F♯maj7 and raise A♯ to B for F♯sus4.
Where you’ll hear it
You’ll find F♯ in common progressions such as F♯–C♯–D♯m–B (the pop progression in F♯ major), F♯–B–C♯–B (three-chord rock in F♯ major) and F♯–D♯m–B–C♯ (the ’50s progression in F♯ major).
