F♯ major (F♯) chord on banjo

Looking for the F♯ chord on banjo? It is a major triad, made of three notes: F♯ – A♯ – C♯. The same chord with a different spelling: G♭ major (G♭).

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 6medium

Position 11medium

Position 8medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the F♯ chord sounds like

A major triad sounds stable and bright: root, major third and perfect fifth. Most songs are built on major chords – in a major key, chords I, IV and V are all major.

Notes of the F♯ chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	F♯	root
3	A♯	major third (4 semitones)
5	C♯	perfect fifth (7 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (D): fret 4, little finger (F♯4)
String 2 (B): fret 2, index finger (C♯4)
String 3 (G): fret 3, middle finger (A♯3)
String 4 (D): fret 4, ring finger (F♯3)

Position 6

String 1 (D): fret 8, little finger (A♯4)
String 2 (B): fret 7, middle finger (F♯4)
String 3 (G): fret 6, index finger (C♯4)
String 4 (D): fret 8, ring finger (A♯3)

Position 11

String 1 (D): fret 11, little finger (C♯5)
String 2 (B): fret 11, ring finger (A♯4)
String 3 (G): fret 11, middle finger (F♯4)
String 4 (D): fret 11, index finger (C♯4)

Five-string banjo in open G tuning (g D G B D). The diagram shows the four long strings; the short 5th string (g) rings open – avoid it when G is not in the chord. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The F♯ chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

F♯ major: I (tonic)
B major: V (dominant)
B minor: V (dominant)
G♯ minor: VII
D♯ minor: III

Similar chords and substitutes

If F♯ is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

E♭m – relative minor: two shared notes, a common stand-in for the tonic
B♭m – mediant minor (iii): two shared notes
F♯maj7 – a softer, jazzier tonic colour
F♯sus4 – suspended version that resolves back to this chord

Richer versions

F♯7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
F♯maj7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
F♯6 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
F♯add9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the F♯ chord?

F♯, A♯, C♯. The root is F♯; the intervals of the other notes from the root: major third, perfect fifth.

What is the easiest way to play F♯ on banjo?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”. We show 4 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

How is the F♯ chord written?

The chord symbol is F♯ (also written F#), and its full name is F♯ major.