Major chord · F# root
F# chord
- F#1
- A#3
- C#5
The F# major chord (also called the Gb chord — same notes, different spelling) is built from the notes F#, A#, C#. It turns up 1 times in the 104 songs on this site, including Hotel California.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the F# chord?
The F# chord (F# major) is a major chord built from three notes: F#, A#, C# — the 1–3–5 of the F# scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played as a movable shape from fret 2 (2-4-4-3-2-2); shift all fretted notes together to transpose it along the neck. It is rated intermediate. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, F# appears 1 times in 1 song, most often in the key of Bm. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 4 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the F# chord on guitar?
Fret 2 barre — a movable shape, so this same fingering works for every root note.
- Lay your index finger flat across the low E to high E strings at fret 2, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Press the A string at fret 4 with your ring finger.
- Press the D string at fret 4 with your pinky finger.
- Press the G string at fret 3 with your middle finger.
- Strum all six strings and let every one ring.
Leave out the lowest fretted note (low E string) and practise the remaining strings. The bass changes, and the upper strings may still need a smaller barre; check that the third and other colour tones stay clear. x-4-4-3-2-2
How do you make F# sound clean?
The F# barre at the 2nd fret buzzes when the index rolls onto its fleshy side.
Loop F#, B and C#, the I–IV–V of F# major. Compare their root strings: F# uses low E; B and C# use the A string in these diagrams.
In real songs
What songs use the F# chord?
- chord changes
- 1
- songs
- 1
- common keys
- Bm
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, F# appears 1 time in 1 song — most often in the key of Bm.
GDEmF#
Chord flow
What chord comes after F#?
The counts come from our own song library — 1879 chord changes in total — which makes them a snapshot of real songs instead of a rule of thumb.
F# arrives from
- Em1×
What other ways can you play F# up the neck?
3 more positions below. Learn one of these well and the rest become optional. The value of a second position is practical: it keeps your fretting hand near where the song is already heading.
Position 2 · Fret 4
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
At fret 4 the neck is still wide enough to keep your thumb behind it, which gives the fingers more reach than a thumb-over grip.
Position 3 · Fret 9 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
It uses 2 separate barres. Fret each one across its marked strings, then add the other fingers without damping the ringing notes.
Position 4 · Fret 11 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
The theory behind F#
F# is spelled F# – A# – C# — the 1 – 3 – 5 of the F# scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to.
The third is the note that makes it major, so it decides the character: keep it on top and F# sounds bright, drop it below the fifth and the same notes sound rounder. On guitar that is a matter of which string you put it on, which is exactly what the different positions on this page do.
What key is the F# chord in?
F# is the I chord in the key of F# major, the IV chord in Db major and the V chord in B major — the three major keys where F# appears naturally.
the home chord — songs resolve here
the subdominant — the chord that leaves home
the dominant — the chord that pulls back home
F# on other instruments
F# – A# – C# — the highlighted black keys are the sharps or flats; play each note once, then move them into one hand position.
Take it to the practice room
