F♯ minor guitar chord (F#m)

How to play F#m

Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).

1. 1st finger (index) — lies flat across the 2nd fret, covering all six strings
2. 3rd finger (ring) — 4th fret, A string
3. 4th finger (little) — 4th fret, D string

• Strum all six strings. Nothing is muted in this shape, so the chord should ring from the low E right through to the high E.
• Barre: 2nd fret, strings 6 down to 1. Place the other fingers first and add the barre last.

Notes and intervals in F#m

F#m is built from 3 notes: F♯, A and C♯.

• F♯ — the root (R)
• A — the minor 3rd (b3)
• C♯ — the perfect 5th (5)

Across the six strings the shape sounds F♯ · C♯ · F♯ · A · C♯ · F♯ from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.

What F#m is used for

F♯ minor is the vi chord in A and the ii in E — A, F♯m, D, E is a whole songbook. Barre the E-minor shape at the 2nd fret; it is usually the first full barre that feels manageable, because the 2nd fret is narrower than the 1st.

Common mistakes with F#m

• A barre that misses the G string. In the minor shape the index finger alone frets four strings, including the G — check it rings.
• Squeezing harder instead of rolling the finger. Pressure from the arm, with the elbow in, does more than a tighter grip.
• Placing the barre last but the other fingers in the wrong strings. Ring and little fingers go on the A and D strings, two frets up.

Chords that go with F#m

Same-root variations first, then the chords of the same key — a fourth and a fifth away, and the relative major — the shapes F#m is most often played alongside.

• F♯ major
• B minor
• D♭ major
• C♯ minor
• A major