F♯ major scale (G♭ major)
F♯ major scale is F♯ – G♯ – A♯ – B – C♯ – D♯ – E♯, with F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯, D♯ and E♯. Formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
The notes, one step at a time
From F♯ upward the gaps are W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between A♯–B and E♯–F♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval from F♯ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F♯ | root | |
| 2 | G♯ | major second | |
| 3 | A♯ | major third | |
| 4 | B | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | C♯ | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | D♯ | major sixth | |
| 7 | E♯ | major seventh |
How the major scale sounds
The major scale is the yardstick for the rest of theory: chord numbers, intervals and key signatures are all counted from it. It sounds settled and bright because every step pulls back toward F♯.
Listen for the leading tone E♯, a half step below F♯. Stop on it and the scale sounds unfinished until F♯ comes back.
Compared with F♯ natural minor scale, F♯ major scale has A♯, D♯ and E♯ where the other has A, D and E; the other four notes are shared. Hear F♯ natural minor scale and compare.
On piano and on guitar
On the piano it uses five black keys (F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯ and D♯) and two white. E♯ is a white key with a sharp or flat name, because each letter can appear only once in the scale.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 2nd fret of the low E string and spans frets 0–6: 17 notes, low string to high.
The key of F♯ major
Songs in F♯ major are built from these notes, so the key signature has six sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯). The relative minor of F♯ major is D♯ minor. Both use a key signature of six sharps. E♭ minor is enharmonically equivalent to D♯ minor, but it uses six flats. E♭ minor, the enharmonic equivalent of D♯ minor. The parallel minor, F♯ natural minor, starts on the same note with different notes above it.
Chords and progressions in F♯ major
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords of the key. Tap to hear each one.
If you know F♯ major scale, you already know the notes of C♯ Mixolydian (starting on the 5th note, C♯), E♭ natural minor (starting on the 6th note, E♭), F Locrian (starting on the 7th note, F), G♯ Dorian (starting on the 2nd note, G♯), B♭ Phrygian (starting on the 3rd note, B♭) and B Lydian (starting on the 4th note, B).
Finding F♯ major on the neck
Anchor points for F♯: low E string fret 2 and 14, A string fret 9. Five overlapping fingerings cover the neck, starting near frets 2, 4, 7, 9 and 11 on the low E string. On guitar, learn the box from the 6th-string root first; the same fingering moves anywhere.
On the piano, F♯ major scale uses 5 black keys (F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯ and D♯) and 2 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: F♯–A♯, G♯–B, A♯–C♯, B–D♯, C♯–E♯, D♯–F♯, E♯–G♯, then back down.
Three ways to practise F♯ major
Once F♯ major is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Groups of three: F♯ G♯ A♯ · G♯ A♯ B · A♯ B C♯ · B C♯ D♯ · C♯ D♯ E♯ · D♯ E♯ F♯.
- Land on E♯: F♯ E♯ F♯ E♯ F♯: the 7th, a half step under the root, pulls the ear home.
Try next, from F♯
Major scale in every key
F♯ major scale: questions
What are the notes of the F♯ major scale?
7 notes: F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯ and E♯.
How many sharps or flats are in the F♯ major scale?
Six: F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯, D♯ and E♯. That matches the key signature of F♯ major.
What chords are in the F♯ major scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives F♯ (I), G♯m (ii), A♯m (iii), B (IV), C♯ (V), D♯m (vi) and E♯dim (vii°).
What's the difference between F♯ major scale and F♯ natural minor scale?
A♯, D♯ and E♯ in F♯ major; A, D and E in the other. Everything else is the same.
Generated from the step pattern 2-2-1-2-2-2-1 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.