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F♯ minor

F♯ minor has 3 sharps (F♯, C♯ and G♯). Its scale is F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E, its chords are F♯m, G♯dim, A, Bm, C♯m, D and E, and its relative major is A major.

Make a beat in F♯ minorWrite a melody in this key

Opens the free editor with a UK drill beat on F♯m D A E. No account needed to start.

The F♯ minor scale

Whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole: the half steps come between G♯ and A, and between C♯ and D.

F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E F♯

ABDEF♯G♯C♯F♯

On the piano, F♯ minor uses 3 black keys (F♯, G♯ and C♯) and 4 white keys (A, B, D and E).

The notes of F♯ minor by scale degree
DegreeNoteName
1F♯Tonic
2G♯Supertonic
3AMediant
4BSubdominant
5C♯Dominant
6DSubmediant
7ESubtonic

The raised seventh

Many songs in F♯ minor raise E to E♯. That makes the harmonic minor scale, F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E♯, and turns the fifth chord from C♯m into C♯ major, which pulls hard back to F♯m. The editor’s minor progressions play the fifth chord that way.

Chords in F♯ minor

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. The Roman numeral says which note it starts on: capitals are major, small letters minor.

iF♯m
ii°G♯dim
IIIA
ivBm
vC♯m
VID
VIIE

Which chords sound happy or sad

Dark

F♯m Bm C♯m

i, iv, v. The minor chords. F♯m is home, and the key’s sad colour.

Lifting

A D E

III, VI, VII. The major chords, which bring light into a minor song.

Tense

G♯dim

ii°. Diminished: tense and unstable, so most minor songs use it only in passing.

A progression in F♯ minor

The epic minor · i–VI–III–VII
F♯m
D
A
E
Hear it as

More progressions in F♯ minor

Key signature and related keys

Key signature

3 sharps: F♯ C♯ G♯

Written at the start of every line of music, so each F, C and G is played sharp. Sharps join in the order F C G D A E B, and flats in the order B E A D G C F.

Relative major

A major

The same seven notes and key signature, starting on A.

Parallel major

F♯ major

The same home note, with 6 sharps. Borrowing a chord from it makes a part sound brighter.

Next to it on the circle of fifths

Keys next to each other share six of their seven notes. See them all on the circle of fifths.

F♯ minor in beats

The editor’s starter beat for this style is written in F♯ minor. It opens the free editor with its own drums, bass and chords at its usual tempo, no account needed.

UK drill · 142 BPM

Questions about F♯ minor

How many sharps are in F♯ minor?

Three: F♯, C♯ and G♯. Those notes are played sharp every time, so the key signature has 3 sharps, and A major, its relative major, has the same.

What is the relative major of F♯ minor?

A major. It uses the same seven notes and the same key signature as F♯ minor, but starts on A, the third note of the scale. The two share every chord, which is why songs move between them so easily.

What chords are in F♯ minor?

F♯m, G♯dim, A, Bm, C♯m, D and E: one built on each note of the scale (i, ii°, III, iv, v, VI, VII). Many songs play the fifth chord as C♯ major instead of C♯m: its E♯ pulls hard back to F♯m.

What is a common chord progression in F♯ minor?

i–VI–III–VII: F♯m, D, A and E. It is the minor key’s best-known loop, heard in anthems, EDM and film, and it is the one the beat on this page plays.

Every key

Major keys
C majorG majorD majorA majorE majorB majorF♯ majorD♭ majorA♭ majorE♭ majorB♭ majorF major
Minor keys
A minorE minorB minorF♯ minorC♯ minorG♯ minorD♯ minorB♭ minorF minorC minorG minorD minor

Build a song in F♯ minor

Start with the beat, then add chords, a melody and your voice in the editor, part by part.

Make a beat in F♯ minorAll music keys

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