Mandolin · key of F♯ minor

Chords in the key of F♯ minor

The seven chords in the key of F♯ minor are F♯m, G♯dim, A, Bm, C♯m, D and E. A, D and E are the major chords (III, VI and VII), F♯m, Bm and C♯m are the minor chords (i, iv and v), and G♯dim is diminished (ii°). Its relative major is A major, which uses the same seven chords. The same key is sometimes written G♭ minor.

Key

Scale

The chords of F♯ minor
Numeral	Triad	Notes	Seventh chord	Notes	Number	Role
i	F♯mhome	F♯ A C♯	F♯m7home	F♯ A C♯ E	1m	tonic
ii°	G♯dimthe edge	G♯ B D	G♯m7♭5the edge	G♯ B D F♯	2°	supertonic
III	Adaylight	A C♯ E	Amaj7daylight	A C♯ E G♯	3	mediant
iv	Bmsoft fall	B D F♯	Bm7soft fall	B D F♯ A	4m	subdominant
v	C♯msoft fall	C♯ E G♯	C♯m7soft fall	C♯ E G♯ B	5m	dominant
VI	Dcinematic	D F♯ A	Dmaj7cinematic	D F♯ A C♯	6	submediant
VII	Eheroic	E G♯ B	E7heroic	E G♯ B D	7	subtonic
V	C♯the pull	C♯ E♯ G♯	C♯7the pull	C♯ E♯ G♯ B	5	often used in place of C♯m

Sound

Strum or arpeggiate any chord, tap a note to hear it, drag the strip under a picture to play it further up the neck, or pick another inversion. Library opens the chord there, with every other way to play it.

F♯m

LibraryMandolin · Standard

i · tonic

G♯dim

LibraryMandolin · Standard

ii° · supertonic

A

LibraryMandolin · Standard

III · mediant

Bm

LibraryMandolin · Standard

iv · subdominant

C♯m

LibraryMandolin · Standard

v · dominant

D

LibraryMandolin · Standard

VI · submediant

E

LibraryMandolin · Standard

VII · subtonic

Chord progressions in F♯ minor

Press a chord to hear it and see its shape, or Play to hear the progression on mandolin. The colours say what each chord does in the key.

Sound Pattern Tempo85

↓ · ↓ ↑ · ↑ ↓ ↑ · Down, down-up, up-down-up: the campfire strum, also called the calypso strum.

Colours

home, minorthe pullthe edgeheroiccinematicsoft falldaylight

What each chord does in its key. Press a chord to hear it and read more.

The minor key’s three chords

i | iv | v | i

Key Chord chart

i–iv–v–i, the minor key’s own three chords.

The epic minor progression

i | VI | III | VII

Key Chord chart

i–VI–III–VII, the sound of film scores and rock anthems.

The Andalusian cadence

i | VII | VI | V

Key Chord chart

Stepping down to a major fifth chord, heard in flamenco and in many rock songs.

To the relative major

i | iv | VII | III

Key Chord chart

i–iv–VII–III, a minor progression that lands on the relative major.

Climbing back home

i | VI | VII | i

Key Chord chart

i–VI–VII–i, common in rock and metal.

The minor ii–V–i

iiø7 | V7 | i7 | i7

Key Chord chart

The minor turnaround of jazz, in seventh chords.

The major fifth chord

In a minor key the fifth chord is often played major, C♯ or C♯7 in place of C♯m. Its third is the leading note of the harmonic minor scale, a half step below F♯, and it pulls back to F♯m more strongly.

The relative major: A major

A major has the same notes and the same seven chords as F♯ minor, starting from A. A song in one often moves to the other. The parallel major, F♯ major, starts on the same note with a different set of chords.

Play it with a capo

F♯ minor takes barre chords on mandolin. A capo lets you play it with the open shapes of an easier key:

Capo 2, the shapes of E minor: Em, F♯dim, G, Am, Bm, C and D

The F♯ minor scale and key signature

The notes of F♯ minor are F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D, E. Its key signature has three sharps: F♯, G♯ and C♯. Each chord of the key is built from these notes, a third apart: a chord on every note of the scale. See the F♯ minor scale on the mandolin neck, and the F♯ minor pentatonic.

Keys nearby

On the circle of fifths, C♯ minor and B minor sit on either side of F♯ minor. Each shares six of its seven notes, which makes them the easiest keys to change to.

Every key

C D♭D E♭E F F♯G A♭A B♭B

C minor C♯ minor D minor E♭ minor E minor F minor F♯ minor G minor G♯ minor A minor B♭ minor B minor

All twenty-four on one page: chords in every key. To print these chords, open them as a chord chart, or make your own in the chord chart maker. This key on guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo.