Chords
F# Major
F# · A# · C#
The major triad — a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. The most stable chord in Western music.
Also written F#M · F#^ · F#maj
F# Major
F# · A# · C#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | F#3 · A#3 · C#4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
F# Major (F#) contains the notes F# · A# · C#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built
Inversions
An inversion of F# Major puts a chord tone other than F# in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales F# Major belongs to.
In which keys
F# Major is diatonic to 7 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
F# Major fits inside these scales, each built on F#.
- F# Major PentatonicF# · G# · A# · C# · D#
- F# Major BluesF# · G# · A · A# · C# · D#
- F# MajorF# · G# · A# · B · C# · D# · E#
- F# LydianF# · G# · A# · B# · C# · D# · E#
- F# MixolydianF# · G# · A# · B · C# · D# · E
- F# Lydian DominantF# · G# · A# · B# · C# · D# · E
- F# Phrygian DominantF# · G · A# · B · C# · D · E
- F# Harmonic MajorF# · G# · A# · B · C# · D · E#
Understanding the F# Major chord
Names and symbols
F# is the chord symbol for F# Major; it is also written F#M, F#^, F#maj.
F# Major and Gb Major are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. Gb Major
How it is built
On F# the major triad is F# · A# · C#, stacking the intervals 1P · 3M · 5P. The major third makes it sound bright; the perfect fifth makes it sound settled.
Change only the third and the chord turns minor. Everything the ear reads as "happy" or "sad" in a plain triad lives in that one note.
How it is used
It is the I chord of its own key and the tonic almost every progression eventually returns to. It also appears as the IV and V of its key, which is why three major triads are enough for a large share of folk, country and rock.
Inverted, it keeps its identity completely — F# with the third or fifth in the bass is still F#, just voiced to smooth the bass line.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in F#?
- F# contains F# · A# · C#. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- How do you build a major chord?
- Stack a major third and then a minor third above the root — or equivalently, take the first, third and fifth degrees of the major scale.
- What is the difference between F# and a minor chord on the same root?
- One note. Lower the third by a semitone and the major triad becomes minor; nothing else changes.
- What notes are in the F# Major chord?
- The F# Major chord contains the notes F# · A# · C#: the root F# with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally F#, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the F# Major chord?
- Measured from F#, the F# Major chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.