Sharps and flats refer to specific intervals on a fretboard; one semitone equals one fret while one whole step equals two frets.
F Sharp is a major note and can be played several ways on guitar. One effective approach to creating this chord is with a barre chord; simply place your first finger against fret 2 of all strings using this technique.
Major Scale
F sharp is a major scale note with six sharps. Each major scale follows a pattern which remains consistent across all major keys, and this F Sharp scale’s tonal center or root note is F#.
Each major scale has a relative minor scale that shares its same notes with its major counterpart, but begins and ends on different notes. For instance, F sharp major has its relative minor in D sharp minor, which contains 6 sharps but begins and ends on D instead of F. These scales are known as relative minor scales because their relationship with their major counterparts can be measured in terms of one major sixth above and one minor third below.
The F sharp chord is one of the easiest voicings to play on guitar, featuring three fingers with an accessible blues sound. To play this chord, place your fourth finger at the 11th fret of B string before using your third and first fingers on 10th and 9th frets of strings 1, 2 and 3, as well as pressing your thumb between fourth and fifth frets on string 1 to prevent vibrations.
This chord is generally known as an F#7 chord; however, there are various variations available to you when playing it. One simple method for creating this chord can be found by barre chording the 1st and 2nd strings then placing your 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers at 11th, 12th and 13th frets of strings 2, 3, 4 respectively to form this barre chord. BeginnerGuitarHQ contains many guides covering barre chording for beginners.
One way of playing an F sharp chord is with a spread voicing, similar to C major scale. To use this method, move your middle and ring fingers from the 2nd fret of A string up to 5th fret before sliding your index finger from 8th to 14th fret on B string until strumming chord.
Minor Scale
The F Sharp minor scale contains three sharp notes and four natural notes, similar to its larger F# Major counterpart but with different tonal centers. Triad chords created using this scale include:
This chord requires all six strings to be barred with your first finger, which may prove challenging for beginners. However, other finger positions may also work as alternatives and over the course of several lessons you will discover ways of playing this chord with less strength or pressure required.
If you want to add some bluesy flair to your playing, try this F Sharp chord shape. It has an open sound that will have you channeling Eric Clapton quickly!
F#m, or F# minor chord is another standard chord in guitar playing. Its sound can be particularly distinctive when played using the flat sixth string. Due to their similar sound and structure, many compare F#m with G flat minor.
In this lesson, you will discover how to play an F# minor triad chord on all six strings using both open and barred versions. Additionally, the F# minor scale will give you even more options when it comes to playing this chord.
The F# minor scale contains seven notes, which can be represented as intervals or steps on a guitar fretboard and written as 2-1-1-2-2 from one note to its octave. Within this scale can be found four triad chords which form its basis:
This F#m chord is more suitable for beginners. To play it easily and with minimum hand strength and pressure required, place your index finger at the second fret of the first string before barreing all remaining strings with your remaining fingers – this will produce the same sound while using less hand strength to play it! This method also serves to strengthen finger strength before taking on more challenging chords such as barre chords.
Barre Chords
Barre chords are an essential element of learning the fretboard and f sharp note guitar. Used for major and minor chords, barre chords serve as an invaluable way of familiarizing yourself with all the notes on the fretboard and getting acquainted with its notes. While barre chords may take more practice to master than open chords, once learned they will quickly become part of your playing repertoire.
To create a barre chord, start by using your first finger to pinch off each string one at a time with its tips. This allows your other fingers to play chords freely for a full sound. Barre chords come in any shape; we will focus on E shape barre chords which is most often used. Based on E major barre chord, this shape can be moved up any fret to produce different sounds depending on what note appears on sixth string – also known as root note of chord.
Move an E shape barre chord up to the third fret and you will create an F#m (F# minor) chord as G is now acting as the bass note in this chord structure. This same process applies for moving any other chord shape up or down the neck; we will focus specifically on E shape here.
Another variation on this theme would be to use your first finger to barricade the second and third strings, creating an F minor barre chord which may be easier for you to play than its F major counterpart.
There’s also a variation whereby moving the first finger up to the 5th fret of string 5 will give an A shape barre chord, making for more difficult playing because you are stretching it across an octave – however it will open up many new chords! Practice these barre chords until they become second nature to you – and soon enough you’ll become adept at switching chords effortlessly!
Variations
As part of your learning of a chord, it’s essential to explore its many variations. There are various ways of playing an F sharp chord, each offering its own distinct sound. Some will be easier for novice players while others require advanced finger skills.
As our first variation, we’ll introduce the barre chord. This method for playing an F sharp chord on guitar is easy for beginners and beginner musicians to learn; all it requires is barring all strings at fret two of your guitar neck with your first finger to create an F sharp major barred chord.
Another variation to this chord is to add an F sharp minor seventh. To do this, move your 2nd finger from string 1 and 3 to string 2, where your fourth finger should barre the fourth fret on string 2. This will produce an F sharp minor chord.
Try switching up this chord by playing it using four fingers instead of three, leaving one string open and audible while still producing an expansive sound – ideal if you want to emulate country or similar styles of chording.
F sharp features a major seven-finger chord that’s more difficult to play but provides your chords with an elegant and timeless sound. To play this chord, place your first finger at the ninth fret of A’s fifth string (A). Next, bar both strings using three other fingers simultaneously.
Final option is to try playing a barre chord with a capo on the sixth fret, placing your second and third fingers respectively on the sixth frets of fifth and fourth strings respectively. Or you could switch up this technique by placing one finger at third fret of second string before barring first and second string with your other fingers.
F sharp is an extremely flexible chord, offering many variations that can be utilized in guitar songs. Take time to experiment with all these variations and test them in various songs – this will not only teach you more about its sound but will help strengthen both finger skill and flexibility as a guitarist.