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F# Major Chord

F# major contains F sharp, A sharp and C sharp, three black piano keys. It is home in F sharp major but leads to B in B major. The intervals between the notes, rather than their key colors, give it its major sound.

  • Notes: F sharp-A sharp-C sharp
  • Symbol: F#
  • Home chord of F sharp major
  • Leads to B
Switch chordF#

How to play an F# major chord

Notes: F# - A# - C# · symbol F#

  • Root position

    F# - A# - C#
    C5
    Right hand 1-3-5 · Left 5-3-1

  • 1st inversion

    A# - C# - F#
    C5
    Right hand 1-2-5 · Left 5-3-1

  • 2nd inversion

    C# - F# - A#
    C5
    Right hand 1-3-5 · Left 5-2-1

Where does F# major belong?

All three notes come from the F sharp major scale, so F# major is the home chord of that key.
Press play on the role cards to hear the same chord do different jobs elsewhere; Diatonic Chords explains the numbered roles.

  • In F# majorHome
    I

    A song in F# major keeps coming back to this chord.

    BIVC#VF#I
  • In B majorTension
    V

    It pulls back to B: A sharp wants to rise one half step to B.

    BIEIVF#VBI
  • In C# majorA step away
    IV

    A warm move away from C#, softer than the V that follows.

    C#IF#IVG#VC#I
  • In B minorMinor-key dominant
    V

    Harmonic minor raises the third to A sharp, so Bm sounds truly finished.

    BmiEmivF#VBmi

Progressions to try

  • F#BC#F#

    I-IV-V-I in F sharp major brings the last F# home.

  • F#C#D#mB

    The I-V-vi-IV loop visits D# minor before B turns it around.

  • BEF#B

    F# is V in B major; hear the release into B.

  • BmEmF#Bm

    F# is the major V in B minor, with A sharp pulling toward B.

Which shape should you use?

On guitar, The 244322 barre keeps F# low on the neck. The x98676 shape moves it higher and omits the lowest string.

On ukulele, 3121 is the low grip; 6669 is the higher alternative.

On piano, choose the first inversion when coming from the nearby chord B-D sharp-F sharp. Play F# as A sharp-C sharp-F sharp: F sharp stays in place while B moves to A sharp and D sharp moves to C sharp.

Although the three notes all fall on black piano keys, their distances are the same as in any other major triad.

What are the inversions?

F sharp is the root. A sharp is the major third, four semitones above it; C sharp is the fifth, seven semitones above it.

  • Root position: F sharp-A sharp-C sharp, with F sharp lowest.
  • First inversion: A sharp-C sharp-F sharp, written F#/A# when A sharp is the lowest note.
  • Second inversion: C sharp-F sharp-A sharp, written F#/C# when C sharp is the lowest note.

A separate bass instrument can change the lowest note even when the right hand plays an inversion. Chord Inversions explains what the slash tells the player.

How does F# minor differ?

Keep F sharp and C sharp; lower only A sharp to A. The result is F sharp-A-C sharp, the F# minor chord. Use the comparer to hear that single change before judging the whole sound.

  • F#

    F# - A# - C#
    C5

    F# major

  • F#m

    F# - A - C#
    C5

    F# minor

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