Minor scale · 7 notes
F♯ minor scale on guitar
The F♯ minor scale (F sharp minor scale) has 7 notes: F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D and E. The natural minor scale: the major scale’s darker twin, with a ♭3, ♭6 and ♭7. You may also see it written as G♭ minor, but F♯ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- F♯
- G♯
- A
- B
- C♯
- D
- E
Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps
W – H – W – W – H – W – W
Sound
Dark, sad or serious, without being exotic
F♯ minor on the whole fretboard
Every F♯ minor note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, F♯, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
F♯ at fret 2. 1st position: frets 1–5.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of F♯ minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from F♯, the F♯ minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 3 sharps (F♯, G♯ and C♯). Compared with F♯ major, it has A (♭3) instead of A♯, D (♭6) instead of D♯ and E (♭7) instead of E♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F♯ | root | 0 |
| 2 | G♯ | major 2nd | 2 |
| ♭3 | A | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | B | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | C♯ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭6 | D | minor 6th | 8 |
| ♭7 | E | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords in F♯ minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to F♯ minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in F♯ minor.
- iF♯mF♯ · A · C♯F♯m7
- ii°G♯°G♯ · B · DG♯m7♭5
- ♭IIIAA · C♯ · EAmaj7
- ivBmB · D · F♯Bm7
- vC♯mC♯ · E · G♯C♯m7
- ♭VIDD · F♯ · ADmaj7
- ♭VIIEE · G♯ · BE7
Progressions to try
- F♯m – D – A – E i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII · epic rock/pop
- F♯m – Bm – C♯m i–iv–v · minor blues-style
- F♯m – E – D – E i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII · rock riffing
- F♯m – Bm – E – A i–iv–♭VII–♭III · circle movement
How to use F♯ minor
Reach for it over songs in a minor key, over minor and minor 7th chords, and in rock, metal, pop ballads and folk. Its sound is dark, sad or serious, without being exotic.
Tip: Every minor scale shares its notes with a major scale three frets higher. If you know G major, you already know E minor: just treat E as home.
- F♯ minor is the relative minor of A major, so the two share all seven notes. See A major.
- F♯ minor contains exactly the notes of A major, played from its Aeolian note, F♯. See A major.
Where to find F♯ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every F♯ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with F♯ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 2 |
| B (2nd) | 7 |
| G (3rd) | 11 |
| D (4th) | 4 |
| A (5th) | 9 |
| Low E (6th) | 2 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as F♯ minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
F♯ minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the F♯ minor scale?
The F♯ minor scale has 7 notes: F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D and E. Its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. It contains 3 sharps (F♯, G♯ and C♯).
What chords are in F♯ minor?
Harmonising the F♯ minor scale in thirds gives F♯m (i), G♯° (ii°), A (♭III), Bm (iv), C♯m (v), D (♭VI) and E (♭VII).
Where do you play the F♯ minor scale on guitar?
The root, F♯, is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 1–5, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as F♯ minor?
F♯ minor is the relative minor of A major, so the two share all seven notes. F♯ minor contains exactly the notes of A major, played from its Aeolian note, F♯.