Root position
F# – A – C#The root F# is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.
3 notes · 1 · ♭3 · 5
F# Minor Piano Chord (F#m)
F# minor is built from F#, A and C# — the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above F#. The shape uses 1 white and 2 black keys, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.
Chord
F# Minor
Notes
F# · A · C#Formula
1 · ♭3 · 5Right hand
1 · 3 · 5C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).
The finder above already holds F#m. Press P or the Play chord button to hear F#, A, C# sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.
Chord tones
The notes in F# minor
A minor triad reverses the major arrangement: a minor third first, then a major third. Only the middle note moves, yet the chord sounds noticeably darker and more inward. Minor triads sit on the second, third and sixth degrees of a major scale, and on the first degree of a minor key.
| Note | Interval | Degree | Semitones | Right hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F#black key | Root | 1 | 0 | 1 · thumb |
| Awhite key | Minor third | ♭3 | 3 | 3 · middle finger |
| C#black key | Perfect fifth | 5 | 7 | 5 · little finger |
Step by step
How to play F# minor on piano
- Find F#: it is the first black key in a group of three.
- Build upwards from F# using 3 and 7 semitones to reach A and C#.
- With the right hand, place finger 1 on F#, finger 3 on A and finger 5 on C#. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
- Move your hand a little further in towards the fallboard so the black keys sit comfortably under your fingers.
- Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how F# minor settles.
- Try first inversion as well: A – C# – F#. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.
Inversions
F# minor in 3 positions
An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.
First inversion
A – C# – F#A is the lowest note, so the minor third sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
Second inversion
C# – F# – AC# is the lowest note, so the perfect fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
In context
Which keys contain F# minor
In D major the chord functions as iii. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 6 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.
- D majoriii
- E majorii
- A majorvi
- C♯ minoriv
- F♯ minori
- B minorv
Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.
Compare
F# minor against F# major
F# minor and F# major share F# and C#. Moving the major third A# down 1 semitone to the minor third A turns F# major into F# minor.
Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes F#, C# still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.
Open F# major →Good questions
F# minor questions
What notes are in the F# minor chord?
F# minor contains F#, A and C#. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above F#.
What is the right-hand fingering for F# minor?
A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on F#, 3 (middle finger) on A and 5 (little finger) on C#. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.
How is F# minor different from F# major?
F# minor and F# major share F# and C#. Moving the major third A# down 1 semitone to the minor third A turns F# major into F# minor.
Which keys use the F# minor chord?
It occurs naturally in D major (iii), E major (ii), A major (vi), C♯ minor (iv), F♯ minor (i) and B minor (v). The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.
What are the inversions of F# minor?
root position is F# – A – C#, first inversion is A – C# – F# and second inversion is C# – F# – A. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.
Is F# minor the same as the G♭ chord?
On an equal-tempered piano F# and G♭ are the same key, so the chords sound identical. Written music chooses between them according to the key signature: pages here are named after the sharp spelling of the root, and the chord tones are then spelled by the degree each one occupies, which is why a double sharp occasionally appears.