As the tonic (I)F♯ major
Home. The loop leaves F♯ Major and keeps coming back to it.
F♯ Major Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♯ Major chord is built on the root note F♯. Its notes are F♯, A♯ and C♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♭ Major.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- Notes
- F♯ · A♯ · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7
- Note
- F♯
- Quality
- Major
- Symbol
- F♯
F♯ Major 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♯ Major 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 every note of F♯ Major 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
- A♯3
- C♯5
F♯ Major on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♯ Major 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. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
F♯ · A♯ · C♯
Try F♯ Major on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F♯ Major chord notes
Also known as G♭ Major
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♯(F#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | A♯(A#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♯(C#) |
How to use the F♯ Major chord
The F♯ Major chord is built from a root, a major third and a perfect 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.
You'll find major chords in almost every style of popular music: rock anthems, country ballads, pop hits and hymns. They commonly appear as the I, IV and V chords in a major key.
In major keys F♯ is the V in B major, the I in F♯ major and the IV in C♯ major; in minor keys it's the V in B minor, the VII in G♯ minor and the III in D♯ minor. As the V of B minor it takes its third, A♯, from the harmonic minor scale: the key's seventh degree, raised a half step.
How F♯ Major differs from similar chords
F♯ and F♯m share the root and the fifth, and the only difference is the third: a major third in F♯, a minor third in F♯m. Add a major seventh and it becomes F♯maj7, add a minor seventh and it becomes F♯7. Of all the chords on this root, the plain major triad is the one that sounds finished.
Songs that use the F♯ Major chord
These well-known tracks all play the F♯ Major chord somewhere - they are not necessarily in that key.
- 1Hotel California (bridge)Eagles
- 2Back in BlackAC/DC
- 3RunawayBon Jovi
- 4AfricaToto
- 5Somebody That I Used to KnowGotye
Where F♯ Major is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
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♯ Major
C♯ · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯
C♯ Melodic Minor
C♯ · D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯
C♯ Dorian
C♯ · D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B
C♯ Mixolydian
C♯ · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B
C♯ Neapolitan Major
C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯
D Lydian Augmented
D · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C♯
D Enigmatic
D · E♭ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯
E Lydian
E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C♯ · D♯
E Lydian Augmented
E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯ · D♯
E Lydian Dominant
E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C♯ · D
F♯ Major
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B · C♯ · D♯ · E♯
F♯ Lydian
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯ · D♯ · E♯
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F♯ Major chord?
- The F♯ Major chord contains F♯, A♯ and C♯ (F#, A# and C# in plain text).
- Is the F♯ Major chord major or minor?
- F♯ Major is a major chord. Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- What key is the F♯ Major chord in?
- In major keys F♯ is the V in B major, the I in F♯ major and the IV in C♯ major; in minor keys it's the V in B minor, the VII in G♯ minor and the III in D♯ minor. As the V of B minor it takes its third, A♯, from the harmonic minor scale: the key's seventh degree, raised a half step.
- How do you play F♯ Major 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 every note of F♯ Major 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♯ Major 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. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
- What is another name for the F♯ Major chord?
- F♯ Major is enharmonically equivalent to G♭ Major. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.