F#m is often the first barre chord a song really insists on. Play anything in the key of A or E and it turns up within a few bars. The good news is that it is an E minor shape you already know, slid up two frets, and that a complete F#m exists on four strings with only a small barre. Start there, add the bass, then lay down the full barre when your hand is ready.
F#m chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: F sharp minor
- Symbol: F#m
- Notes: F#, A, C#
- Where it belongs: iii in D major, ii in E major, vi in A major, iv in C# minor, i in F# minor
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| F#m, four strings | xx4222 | F# A C# F# | The easy F#m: a small three string barre and one finger. Complete, with F# as the lowest note. |
| F#m, thumb bass | 2x4222 | F# F# A C# F# | The four string shape with the thumb over the neck on the low E. Adds the deep F# without the full barre. |
| F#m, barre | 244222 | F# C# F# A C# F# | The standard F sharp minor: the E minor shape moved up two frets, with the first finger as the nut. |
| F#m, ninth fret | x 9 11 11 10 9 | F# C# F# A C# | The A minor shape barred at fret 9: first finger across the top five strings, second finger on the B string at 10, third and fourth fingers at 11. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
F#m on the neck: every F#, A, C#
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of F#m: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still F#m.
From four strings to the full barre
1. Four strings: xx4222
Lay the first finger flat across the G, B and high E strings at fret 2. Put the third finger on the D string at fret 4. Strum the top four strings only. You hear F#, A, C# and F# again: the whole chord.
2. Add the bass with the thumb: 2x4222
Keep the same shape and wrap the thumb over the top of the neck onto the low E at fret 2. The thumb also leans against the A string to keep it quiet. If your hand is small or your neck is wide, skip this step: it is a comfort shape, not a required one.
3. The full barre: 244222
Now the first finger takes all six strings at fret 2. Third finger on the A string at fret 4, fourth finger on the D string at fret 4. Compare it with E minor (022000): same hand shape, with the first finger standing in for the nut.
When F#m does not ring
| What you hear | Likely cause | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The G string is dead | It falls in a crease of the first finger | Slide the barre a few millimeters up or down the finger until the crease is off the string. |
| The high E buzzes | Finger too far from the fret wire | Bring the whole barre right behind the fret. |
| The A string is muffled | The third finger lies flat and touches it from above | Arch the third finger and press with the tip. |
| The hand hurts after a minute | Squeezing with the thumb | Drop the thumb behind the neck and let the arm's weight do part of the work. |
The changes F#m lives in
F#m is the relative minor of A, the vi chord, and the ii chord of E. These are the moves it makes most often.
| Change | Shapes | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| A to F#m | x02220 to 244222 | The hand stays around frets 2 to 4. Land the barre first, then the two fingers. |
| A, E, F#m, D | x02220, 022100, xx4222, xx0232 | The I V vi IV of A major. The four string F#m keeps it light and fast. |
| F#m to Bm | 244222 to x24432 | Both barres sit at fret 2. Keep the first finger down and move only the others. |
| F#m to E | 244222 to 022100 | Release the barre on the last beat and drop into the open shape two frets lower. |
Where to hear F#m
Radiohead's High and Dry opens its loop on F#m before A and E. In Adele's Someone Like You, F#m closes the progression after A and C#m/G# (that chord has its own page: C#m/G#). Both are played without a capo, so you can hear the second fret barre as it is.
Higher up, the ninth fret shape (x 9 11 11 10 9) is the one to use when the chords around F#m already sit in the middle of the neck, for example when a song moves between barres at frets 7 to 10.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play F#m on guitar?
How do you play F#m without a barre?
What notes are in an F sharp minor chord?
What is the difference between F#m and Fm?
Why is F#m in so many songs?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.