Key guide
F♯ major: scale, key signature and chords
F♯ major has six sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯). Its scale is F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E♯ — play the scale and every chord below.
- Key signature
- F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯ — six sharps
- Scale notes
- F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E♯
- Relative minor
- D♯ minor
- Parallel minor
- F♯ minor
- Dominant key
- D♭ major (spelled C♯ major from here; covered as D♭ major)
- Subdominant key
- B major
- On the piano
- 5 black keys and 2 white in the scale
The F♯ major scale
The F♯ major scale uses the notes F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E♯, the major-scale pattern of whole and half steps (W–W–H–W–W–W–H) starting on F♯. Each letter name appears once, which is why the accidentals are written as F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯ rather than as their enharmonic equivalents.
| Degree | Note | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F♯ | tonic |
| 2 | G♯ | supertonic |
| 3 | A♯ | mediant |
| 4 | B | subdominant |
| 5 | C♯ | dominant |
| 6 | D♯ | submediant |
| 7 | E♯ | leading tone |
G♭ major (six flats) is the enharmonic twin: the same keys on the piano, spelled with flats instead of sharps.
Chords in F♯ major
Stacking thirds on each note of the scale gives seven diatonic triads and seven seventh chords. The Roman numeral gives each chord’s position; the role column says what it usually does in a phrase.
| Chord | Triad | Seventh | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | F♯ A♯ C♯ | F♯ A♯ C♯ E♯ | tonic |
| ii | G♯ B D♯ | G♯ B D♯ F♯ | predominant |
| iii | A♯ C♯ E♯ | A♯ C♯ E♯ G♯ | tonic substitute |
| IV | B D♯ F♯ | B D♯ F♯ A♯ | predominant |
| V | C♯ E♯ G♯ | C♯ E♯ G♯ B | dominant |
| vi | D♯ F♯ A♯ | D♯ F♯ A♯ C♯ | tonic substitute |
| vii° | E♯ G♯ B | E♯ G♯ B D♯ | dominant |
Chord progressions in F♯ major
Four progressions worked out in F♯ major, each one playable:
- I – V – vi – IV F♯ – C♯ – D♯m – BThe four-chord loop under a large share of pop songs.
- ii – V – I G♯m – C♯ – F♯The standard jazz cadence: predominant, dominant, tonic.
- I – IV – V – I F♯ – B – C♯ – F♯The plain three-chord cadence at the root of tonal harmony.
- I – vi – IV – V F♯ – D♯m – B – C♯The 1950s progression: tonic, relative minor, subdominant, dominant.
Keys related to F♯ major
- Relative minor: D♯ minor — same key signature, different home note.
- Dominant: D♭ major — one step clockwise on the circle of fifths; the key most pieces in F♯ major modulate to.
- Subdominant: B major — one step counter-clockwise, adding one flat (or removing one sharp).
- Parallel minor: F♯ minor — same tonic, opposite mode.
Questions
What are the notes in F♯ major?
The F♯ major scale is F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E♯.
How many sharps or flats are in F♯ major?
F♯ major has six sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯.
What is the relative minor of F♯ major?
The relative minor of F♯ major is D♯ minor. The two keys share a key signature and the same seven notes, but D♯ is the home note of the minor key.
What chords are in F♯ major?
The seven diatonic triads in F♯ major are F♯, G♯m, A♯m, B, C♯, D♯m, E♯°.