F♯5 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♯5 chord is a power chord built on the root note F♯. Its notes are F♯ and C♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♭5.
Power chords have no third at all, only a root and a fifth, so they are neither major nor minor. That emptiness is the point: run one through a distorted amp and it stays clean and thick where a full triad would turn to mud.
- Notes
- F♯ · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 7
- Note
- F♯
- Quality
- Power Chord (5)
- Symbol
- F♯5
F♯5 on piano
2 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play F♯5 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♯ and little finger on C♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard every note of F♯5 is a black key. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F♯1
- C♯5
F♯5 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♯5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 4. Don't play strings 3, 2 and 1.
F♯ · C♯
Try F♯5 on the virtual piano
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F♯5 chord notes
Also known as G♭5
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♯(F#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♯(C#) |
How to use the F♯5 chord
The F♯5 chord is built from a root and a perfect fifth. Start at the root F♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♯ and C♯. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Power chords drive punk, metal, grunge and hard rock, played on the low strings with distortion. Guitarists move a single shape up and down the neck, which is why riffs built from them transpose so easily.
How F♯5 differs from similar chords
F♯5 holds only the root and the fifth, so unlike F♯ or F♯m it has no third to decide its colour. With two notes it is the smallest chord in the library, often doubled with the root an octave up. The same F♯5 shape therefore fits major and minor songs alike.
Where F♯5 is used
No progression is shown for a power chord
F♯5 has no third, so it carries no major or minor function and cannot take a Roman numeral. Any progression printed here would belong to a different chord.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F♯5 chord?
- The F♯5 chord contains F♯ and C♯ (F# and C# in plain text).
- Is the F♯5 chord major or minor?
- F♯5 is a power chord. Power chords have no third at all, only a root and a fifth, so they are neither major nor minor. That emptiness is the point: run one through a distorted amp and it stays clean and thick where a full triad would turn to mud.
- How do you play F♯5 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♯ and C♯ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard every note of F♯5 is a black key. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play F♯5 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 4. Don't play strings 3, 2 and 1.
- What is another name for the F♯5 chord?
- F♯5 is enharmonically equivalent to G♭5. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.