F# major chord on piano

The F# chord (F# major, also written Gb major) is three notes: F♯, A♯ and C♯. Start on F♯, count four half steps up to A♯, then three more to C♯.

  • F♯root, 1
  • A♯major 3rd, 3
  • C♯perfect 5th, 5
F♯1A♯3C♯5

Fingers are numbered from the thumb, 1, to the little finger, 5. Right hand 1, 3, 5; left hand 5, 3, 1.

How to play F# major on piano

  1. Find F♯, the first black key of a group of three.
  2. Put your right thumb (finger 1) on F♯.
  3. Count four half steps up, black and white keys alike, to A♯. Rest your middle finger (3) there.
  4. Count three more half steps to C♯ for your little finger (5).
  5. Press all three keys together.
  6. For the left hand, play the same keys with fingers 5, 3 and 1, or play F♯ an octave lower with your little finger.

Inversions

  1. F♯1A♯3C♯5

    Root position

    F♯, A♯, C♯

    Right hand 1, 3, 5; left hand 5, 3, 1.

  2. A♯1C♯2F♯5

    1st inversion

    A♯, C♯, F♯

    Right hand 1, 2, 5; left hand 5, 3, 1.

  3. C♯1F♯3A♯5

    2nd inversion

    C♯, F♯, A♯

    Right hand 1, 3, 5; left hand 5, 2, 1.

Practice F# major

Hold each position of F♯ major for four beats, then move to the next: root position, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion, and round again. Start at 60 beats a minute and move up toward 100 once every change lands on the beat.

F♯A♯C♯
  1. Root positionF♯–A♯–C♯
  2. 1st inversionA♯–C♯–F♯
  3. 2nd inversionC♯–F♯–A♯

The shape of F# major

F# major is all black keys, the only major chord that is.

F# major is built from the F♯ major scale: take its 1st, 3rd and 5th notes, skipping every other note.

  1. F♯1
  2. G♯2
  3. A♯3
  4. B4
  5. C♯5
  6. D♯6
  7. E♯7

Smooth changes from F# major

Jumping from one root position chord to the next moves the whole hand. The right inversion keeps shared notes still and moves the others the shortest way. Below are the chords built on the 4th and 5th notes of F# major's own key: B and C#.

  • BF♯D♯

    From F# to B, play B in 2nd inversion (F♯–B–D♯): F♯ stays, A♯ moves up a half step to B and C♯ moves up two half steps to D♯.

  • E♯G♯C♯

    From F# to C#, play C# in 1st inversion (E♯–G♯–C♯): F♯ moves down a half step to E♯ (the white key usually called F), A♯ moves down two half steps to G♯ and C♯ stays.

F# major on the staff and on guitar

♯♯♯
On the treble staff, F♯ sits in the bottom space, A♯ in the second space and C♯ in the third space.
134211F♯C♯F♯A♯C♯F♯
E shape, 2nd fretFrets, low E to high E: 2 4 4 3 2 2
9fr×13331F♯C♯F♯A♯C♯
A shape, 9th fretFrets, low E to high E: x 9 11 11 11 9

Keys with F# major in them

  • D♭ majorIVD♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭, B♭m, Cdim
  • C♯ majorIVC♯, D♯m, E♯m, F♯, G♯, A♯m, B♯dim
  • G♭ majorIG♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭, D♭, E♭m, Fdim
  • F♯ majorIF♯, G♯m, A♯m, B, C♯, D♯m, E♯dim
  • B majorVB, C♯m, D♯m, E, F♯, G♯m, A♯dim
  • E♭ minorIIIE♭m, Fdim, G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭, D♭
  • G♯ minorVIIG♯m, A♯dim, B, C♯m, D♯m, E, F♯
  • B♭ minorVIB♭m, Cdim, D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭
  • B minorVFrom B harmonic minor, which raises the scale's 7th note a half step so this chord leads back to B.

Progressions that use it

  • I–IV–V, in F♯ major

    1. IF♯
    2. IVB
    3. VC♯

  • I–V–vi–IV, in F♯ major

    1. IF♯
    2. VC♯
    3. viD♯m
    4. IVB

  • vi–IV–I–V, in F♯ major

    1. viD♯m
    2. IVB
    3. IF♯
    4. VC♯

  • I–vi–IV–V (the 50s progression), in F♯ major

    1. IF♯
    2. viD♯m
    3. IVB
    4. VC♯

Related chords

Hearing a chord you can't name? Press its keys in the chord identifier.

Save or print the F# major chord chart

F# major chord on piano keyboard, notes F♯ A♯ C♯
Download the F# major chord chart (PNG). Free to print and share. For every chord on one page, see the piano chord chart.

Practice notes for F# major

F♯ major is the only major chord on all black keys: F♯, A♯ and C♯. Many players find it oddly comfortable once they try it, because the three black keys sit in a raised row under the fingers.

Where it goes wrong. The fingers slide into the gaps. Black keys are narrow, and if the hand sits at the front of the keyboard the fingertips catch the edges. Move the whole hand forward so the fingers play the black keys in the middle of their length, and keep the fingers curved.

How to practice it. Find the group of three black keys: F♯ is the first, A♯ the third, and C♯ is the first of the next group of two. Play the chord, then the same three keys as G♭ major, which is the same sound with a flat spelling: G♭, B♭, D♭. Then try the change to B in 2nd inversion (F♯–B–D♯), where the thumb stays on F♯.

What to listen for. Black-key chords can sound brittle if pressed hard, because the fingers come down from above. Press from close to the keys and listen for a full, even sound.

What to learn next. F♯ minor, where A♯ drops to the white A, and B and C♯ major, the IV and V chords of the key.

Questions

What notes are in a F# major chord?

F♯, A♯ and C♯. F♯ is the root, A♯ is a major 3rd above it and C♯ is a perfect 5th above it.

How is F# major different from F# minor?

Only the middle note changes. F# minor lowers A♯ a half step to A; the other two notes stay.

Is F# major the same as Gb major?

Yes. On the piano they are the same three keys. F# major is spelled F♯, A♯ and C♯; Gb major is spelled G♭, B♭ and D♭. Which name a piece uses depends on its key signature.

What does the chord symbol F# mean?

A letter on its own means a major chord, so F♯ means F# major: F♯, A♯ and C♯. You may also see it written F♯M, F♯maj or F♯Δ.