As the leading-tone chordG major
- vii°F♯°
- IG
Every note pulls inward into G by a semitone or a tone. This is the chord's primary function.
F♯ Diminished Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♯ Diminished chord is built on the root note F♯. Its notes are F♯, A and C. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♭ Diminished.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- Notes
- F♯ · A · C
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Note
- F♯
- Quality
- Diminished
- Symbol
- F♯°
F♯ Diminished on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play F♯ Diminished on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♯, middle finger on A and little finger on C. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard F♯ is a black key and A and C are white. 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
- A♭3
- C♭5
F♯ Diminished on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♯ Diminished is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 2: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 2 and 1.
F♯ · A · C
Play F♯ Diminished on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F♯ Diminished chord notes
Also known as G♭ Diminished
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♯(F#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | A | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | C |
How to use the F♯ Diminished chord
The F♯ Diminished chord is built from a root, a minor third and a diminished fifth. Start at the root F♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♯, A and C. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Diminished chords are passing tools in classical, jazz, bluegrass and film music. They're often used as vii° leading to the tonic or as chromatic passing chords between diatonic chords.
In major keys F♯° is the vii° in G major; in minor keys it's the ii° in E minor.
How F♯ Diminished differs from similar chords
F♯° is F♯m with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get F♯m7♭5, add a diminished seventh and you get the fully symmetrical F♯°7. On its own it is the leading-tone chord (vii°) of the major key a half step up.
Where F♯ Diminished is used
A diminished chord is a tension chord. It works as the leading-tone chord of a key, and as a dominant seventh with its root left out.
Scales that contain F♯°
These scales include F♯° as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Lydian
C · D · E · F♯ · G · A · B
C Lydian Augmented
C · D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B
C Lydian Dominant
C · D · E · F♯ · G · A · B♭
D Mixolydian
D · E · F♯ · G · A · B · C
D Phrygian Dominant
D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C
D Lydian Dominant
D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C
D Hindu
D · E · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C
E Natural Minor
E · F♯ · G · A · B · C · D
E Harmonic Minor
E · F♯ · G · A · B · C · D♯
E Aeolian
E · F♯ · G · A · B · C · D
E Harmonic Major
E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C · D♯
E Hindu
E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C · D
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F♯ Diminished chord?
- The F♯ Diminished chord contains F♯, A and C (F#, A and C in plain text).
- Is the F♯ Diminished chord major or minor?
- F♯ Diminished is a diminished chord. Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- What key is the F♯ Diminished chord in?
- In major keys F♯° is the vii° in G major; in minor keys it's the ii° in E minor.
- How do you play F♯ Diminished on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♯, A 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 F♯ is a black key and A and C are white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play F♯ Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 2: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 2 and 1.
- What is another name for the F♯ Diminished chord?
- F♯ Diminished is enharmonically equivalent to G♭ Diminished. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.