F♯maj7 chord on guitar

F♯maj7 is F♯, A♯, C♯ and E♯. The usual shape is 2-4-3-3-2-2, a barre at the 2nd fret. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

2-4-3-3-2-2 · barre · medium

Notes: F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · E♯
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
First shape: 2-4-3-3-2-2

How to play F♯maj7 on guitar

Shape 1, 2-4-3-3-2-2, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 2nd fret:

Lay your index finger flat across all the strings at the 2nd fret.
Middle finger: D string, 3rd fret (E♯).
Ring finger: G string, 3rd fret (A♯).
Pinky: A string, 4th fret (C♯).

Let your arm do some of the work: a slight pull back from the elbow presses the barre without squeezing the thumb.
Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.

Other ways to play F♯maj7

x-x-4-3-2-1: movable shape, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.
x-9-11-10-11-9: barre shape at the 9th fret, medium. This is the open Amaj7 shape with a barre behind it, root on the 5th string.
x-9-8-6-6-6: partial barre shape at the 6th fret, medium. A different set of strings gives a different color of the same chord.

Capo shortcuts for F♯maj7

A capo turns an open chord into F♯maj7: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Fmaj7 shape (x-x-3-2-1-0), capo on the 2nd fret and play the open Emaj7 shape (0-2-1-1-0-0), capo on the 4th fret and play the open Dmaj7 shape (x-x-0-2-2-2) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open Cmaj7 shape (x-3-2-0-0-0). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Moving between F♯maj7 and its neighbours

Songs rarely hold F♯maj7 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

Bmaj7 (IV in F♯ major): F♯maj7 (2-4-3-3-2-2) to Bmaj7 (x-2-4-3-4-2): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the middle finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, move the ring finger to the D string, 4th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. F♯ and A♯ carry over from one chord to the other. Bmaj7 on guitar
C♯7 (V in F♯ major): F♯maj7 (2-4-3-3-2-2) to C♯7 (x-4-6-4-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 6th fret, move the ring finger to the B string, 6th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. C♯ and E♯ carry over from one chord to the other. C♯7 on guitar
E♭m7 (vi in F♯ major): F♯maj7 (2-4-3-3-2-2) to E♭m7 (x-x-1-3-2-2): move the index finger to the D string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the B string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the high E string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. F♯, A♯ and C♯ carry over from one chord to the other. E♭m7 on guitar

F♯maj7 is a major seventh chord: a major triad with the note a half step below the octave added. F♯maj7 works as a relaxed home chord; swap it in for plain F♯ at the end of a phrase. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Getting F♯maj7 under your fingers

Before strumming, play 2-4-3-3-2-2 note by note: F♯ then C♯ then E♯ then A♯ then C♯ then F♯. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Then switch to x-x-4-3-2-1 and back four times without looking at your hand.

You may also see it as G♭maj7; nothing changes on the guitar.

Where F♯maj7 shows up

In F♯ major, ii–V–I on guitar is G♯m7 (4-6-4-4-4-4), C♯7 (x-4-6-4-6-4) and F♯maj7 (2-4-3-3-2-2). About the jazz cadence.

F♯maj7 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: F♯maj7 on piano and F♯maj7 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Close to F♯maj7

Other major seventh chords

F♯maj7 on guitar: questions

What notes are in F♯maj7 on guitar?

F♯, A♯, C♯ and E♯. In the 2-4-3-3-2-2 shape the strings play F♯ (low E string), C♯ (A string), E♯ (D string), A♯ (G string), C♯ (B string) and F♯ (high E string), so F♯ and C♯ are doubled.

What's the easiest way to play F♯maj7 on guitar?

In standard tuning F♯maj7 can't use open strings. Begin with x-x-4-3-2-1. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo is worth trying when the song allows.

Is F♯maj7 a barre chord on guitar?

Usually, yes. 2-4-3-3-2-2 has your index finger across the 2nd fret. x-x-4-3-2-1 avoids the barre.

Which string does F♯maj7 start on?

In the 2-4-3-3-2-2 shape the lowest string you play is the low E string at the 2nd fret, which is F♯, the root.

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside F♯maj7. Updated September 2026.