NoteAtlas

Piano chord · Major triad

F♯ major piano chord (F♯)

F♯, A♯ and C♯, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.

F sharp major in root position on the piano keyboard: F sharp, A sharp, C sharpC4DEFGABC5DEFGABC6F♯G♭A♯B♭C♯D♭
F sharp major chord in root position on the treble staff

Notes in F♯: F♯, A♯ and C♯

NoteInterval from the rootKey around middle C
F♯RootF♯4 · black key
A♯Major 3rdA♯4 · black key
C♯Perfect 5thC♯5 · black key
  • Chord symbol: F♯ — F♯ major
  • Formula: R · 3 · 5 (0 · 4 · 7 semitones from the root)
  • Right hand fingering: 1-3-5 — thumb, middle finger and little finger
  • Left hand fingering: 5-3-1, little finger on the root

How F♯ works

F♯ major is one of only two triads that sit entirely on black keys — the other is E♭ minor. That makes it far easier to feel than to read: six sharps on the page, but a neat group of three keys under the hand. Written as G♭ major it sounds identical, and both spellings appear in real music.

F♯ inversions

An inversion keeps the same notes and changes which one is at the bottom. That matters because it lets you move between chords without jumping: the closer the notes of the next chord are to the ones your hand is already holding, the smoother it sounds and the easier it is to play. Root position first, then two inversions.

  • Root position

    F sharp major in root position: F sharp, A sharp, C sharpF♯G♭A♯B♭C♯D♭

    F♯–A♯–C♯ — the root, F♯, is at the bottom.

  • 1st inversion — A♯ in the bass

    F sharp major, 1st inversion — A sharp in the bass: A sharp, C sharp, F sharpA♯B♭C♯D♭F♯G♭

    A♯–C♯–F♯ — the same three notes, reordered so A♯ is lowest.

  • 2nd inversion — C♯ in the bass

    F sharp major, 2nd inversion — C sharp in the bass: C sharp, F sharp, A sharpC♯D♭F♯G♭A♯B♭

    C♯–F♯–A♯ — the same three notes, reordered so C♯ is lowest.

Common mistakes on F♯

  • Reading the third as B♭. In F♯ major it is spelled A♯; B♭ belongs to the flat-key version, G♭ major.
  • Playing at the very back of the black keys, where they are stiffest and the fingers slide sideways.
  • Missing A♯ and grabbing B instead, which turns the chord into a suspended sound.
F♯ major piano chord diagram
F♯ piano chord chart: F♯, A♯, C♯ highlighted and labeled on the keyboard.

Piano chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.