The Key of F♯ Minor for Guitar
The key of F♯ minor has the notes F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E, 3 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯), and its relative major is A major.
- Chords
- F♯m G♯dim A Bm C♯m D E
- Main three
- F♯m Bm C♯m
- Key signature of F♯ minor
- 3 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯)
Chords in the key
Chords in F♯ minor · moved from F♯ minor · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: F♯ minor (page key)No capo: you play F♯ minor shapes as written.
Fretboard · F♯ minor scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (F♯). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · i–VI–III–VII
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in F♯ minor, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | F♯m | F♯ A C♯ |
| ii° | G♯dim | G♯ B D |
| III | A | A C♯ E |
| iv | Bm | B D F♯ |
| v | C♯m | C♯ E G♯ |
| VI | D | D F♯ A |
| VII | E | E G♯ B |
Seventh chords in F♯ minor
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | F♯m7 | F♯ A C♯ E |
| iiø7 | G♯m7♭5 | G♯ B D F♯ |
| IIImaj7 | Amaj7 | A C♯ E G♯ |
| iv7 | Bm7 | B D F♯ A |
| v7 | C♯m7 | C♯ E G♯ B |
| VImaj7 | Dmaj7 | D F♯ A C♯ |
| VII7 | E7 | E G♯ B D |
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why F♯ minor has 3 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯)
Every minor scale uses the same step pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. Start that pattern on F♯ and the notes land on F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E, so the key needs F♯, C♯ and G♯. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
F♯ minor scale in first position
Every note of F♯ minor in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, F♯ on the 6th string, fret 2, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: F♯ minor scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in F♯ minor on guitar
With three sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯), F♯ minor shares every note with A major. Five of the six open strings are in the scale: both E strings, A, D and B. Only the open G string is out, because the key has G♯. The same sounds spelled as G♭ minor would need nine flats, including B𝄫 and E𝄫, which is why F♯ minor is the spelling in use.
A, D and E are open chords; F♯m, Bm and C♯m are barres, and G♯dim is rare in songs. F♯m is the E-shape minor barre at fret 2. Before that is clean, the small F♯m (x x 4 2 2 2) covers the top four strings, and Dmaj7 (x x 0 2 2 2) is a ringing substitute for D.
For the v chord, songs in F♯ minor often play C♯ major or C♯7, borrowing E♯ from the harmonic minor scale. The C♯7 shape (x 4 3 4 0 4) is the open B7 grip moved up two frets, with the open B string as its seventh.
Barre or capo? A song that lives on F♯m, D, A and E is easiest without a capo: A, D and E stay open and only F♯m is barred. When Bm and C♯m come up often, capo 2 is better: F♯m and Bm become the open Em and Am shapes, though C♯m turns into a Bm shape, which is still a barre.
Common progressions in F♯ minor
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| i–VI–III–VII | F♯m D A E | F♯m D A E: three open chords after the F♯m; with capo 2 the loop is Em C G D. |
| i–iv–v–i | F♯m Bm C♯m F♯m | F♯m Bm C♯m F♯m: three barre chords in a row, so most players use capo 2 and Em Am Bm. |
| i–VII–VI–VII | F♯m E D E | F♯m E D E: open E and D after the home chord, a rock loop with a falling bass. |
| i–iv–VII–III | F♯m Bm E A | F♯m Bm E A: the fifths chain lands on open A, the relative major. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and F♯ minor
Capo 2 with Em shapes is the standard way to play in F♯ minor: F♯m, Bm and C♯m become Em, Am and Bm, and D, A and E become C, G and D. Capo 4 with Dm shapes also works, with a brighter, higher sound.
| Capo | F♯m shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | G minor |
| Fret 2 | G♯ minor |
| Fret 3 | A minor |
| Fret 4 | B♭ minor |
| Fret 5 | B minor |
| Fret 6 | C minor |
| Fret 7 | C♯ minor |
Song in another key? Capo for F♯ minor songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative major: A major
A major uses the same seven notes, starting on A, the 3rd note of the scale. Its chord is the III in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of A majorrelative
- The key of F♯ majorparallel
- The key of B minorcircle, one step left
- The key of C♯ minorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about F♯ minor
What chords are in the key of F♯ minor?
F♯m, G♯dim, A, Bm, C♯m, D and E. A, D and E are open chords; F♯m, Bm and C♯m are barres.
How do I play in F♯ minor without barre chords?
Put a capo on fret 2 and play in E minor: Em, F♯dim, G, Am, Bm, C, D. Only Bm (sounding as C♯m) still needs care.
How many sharps does F♯ minor have?
Three: F♯, C♯ and G♯. A major has the same signature, which is why the two keys share every chord.
Which open string is not in F♯ minor?
The G string. F♯ minor has G♯, so a ringing open G clashes; mute it or fret it at fret 1.
Next steps in F♯ minor
- Progressions in F♯ minorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- F♯ minor pentatonicthe five-note soloing scale
- F♯ harmonic minorraised 7th: where the major V chord comes from
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along