F♯ Major Chord on Guitar
F♯ F♯ A♯ C♯ 2 shapes Barre chord
Also written G♭ major: the same frets under another name.
Chord diagrams
How to play F♯ Major on guitar
The F♯ Major chord (F♯) is made of F♯, A♯, C♯ - 1 3 5. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the E-shape barre at fret 2 (244322). Below are 2 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
A-shape barre, fret 9 x9(11)(11)(11)9
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in F♯ Major?
The F♯ Major chord has 3 different notes: F♯, A♯, C♯. Root, major third (4 half steps up), perfect fifth (7). A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: the e-shape barre, fret 2 sounds all six strings.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| F♯ | Root | 0 |
| A♯ | Major 3rd | 4 |
| C♯ | Perfect 5th | 7 |
Chords that go with it
Chords in the key of F♯ major
The seven chords built on the F♯ major scale, with the easiest shape of each. I, IV and V are the three major chords that carry most songs in this key; vi is its relative minor.
A progression to strum
- I - V - vi - IVF♯ - C♯ - D♯m - B
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play F♯ on guitar?
The E-shape shape 244322: low E string fret 2 (finger 1), A string fret 4 (finger 3), D string fret 4 (finger 4), G string fret 3 (finger 2), B string fret 2 (finger 1), high E string fret 2 (finger 1). Your index finger lies flat across fret 2.
What notes are in the F♯ Major chord?
The F♯ Major chord (F♯) is made of F♯, A♯, C♯. Its formula is 1 3 5. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Can I play F♯ without a barre?
There is no common open shape for F♯ in standard tuning, so it is played as a movable shape: e-shape barre, fret 2 (244322) is the lowest on the neck. If a full barre is hard at first, play only the four highest strings of that shape - the root and the third are still there.
Is F♯ Major the same as G♭ major?
On the guitar, yes: the same frets. The name changes with the key - sharps in sharp keys, flats in flat keys.
Keep playing
Strum F♯, then build a song around it
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