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F-sharp Major 7th Chord
The F-sharp Major 7th Chord is F-sharp, A-sharp, C-sharp, and E-sharp. The E-sharp is the white key F, so three notes are black keys and the top one is white. That top note sits just a half step below the root, which gives the chord its soft, open sound.
How to play the F-sharp Major 7th Chord on the piano
Let’s go through some charts that will familiarize you with the F-sharp Major 7th Chord and how to play it in the various forms you will encounter in pieces of music. First, we’ll look at the fundamental chord and its inversions; then, we’ll explore some more complex voicings.
The F-sharp Major 7th Chord in root position
In root position, the notes of the F♯ major 7th chord are stacked in thirds with F♯ on the bottom. The appearance on the staff is evenly spaced, as is the feeling of the space in between your fingers while playing.
| F-sharp Major 7th Chord in root position | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | F♯ A♯ C♯ E♯ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | F♯maj7 |
The F-sharp Major 7th Chord in first inversion
In first inversion, the third of the chord (A♯) becomes the bottom note, and the root (F♯) jumps up to the top.
| F-sharp Major 7th Chord in 1st inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | A♯ C♯ E♯ F♯ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 4 5 |
| Chord Symbol | F♯maj6/5 or F♯maj7/A♯ |
The F-sharp Major 7th Chord in second inversion
In second inversion, the fifth of the chord (C♯) is on the bottom, and the third of the chord (A♯) goes to the top.
| F-sharp Major 7th Chord in 2nd inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | C♯ E♯ F♯ A♯ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | F♯maj4/3 or F♯maj7/C♯ |
The F-sharp Major 7th Chord in third inversion
In third inversion, the seventh of the chord (E♯) is on the bottom, and the fifth of the chord (C♯) goes to the top.
| F-sharp Major 7th Chord in 3rd inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | E♯ F♯ A♯ C♯ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 4 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | F♯maj4/2 or F♯maj7/E♯ |
F-sharp Major 7th Chord theory and function
The major 7th adds the note a half step below the octave, which gives the chord a soft, open sound with a little friction in it. In Baroque and Classical music it appears as a passing seventh inside a sequence, and in Romantic and Impressionist music it is used as a color chord on the tonic and the subdominant.
The common keys that use this chord are flat keys, so it is usually written as G♭ major 7th, and the spelling follows the key. The G♭ major 7th chord is the tonic (Imaj7) in G♭ major and the subdominant (IVmaj7) in D♭ major. In minor keys, it is the mediant (IIImaj7) in E♭ minor and the submediant (VImaj7) in B♭ minor.
The cadence to recognize is ii7 – V7 – I. In G♭ major that is A♭m7 – D♭7 – G♭maj7, where the tonic is colored with its seventh. In a sequence the seventh leans down by step into the next chord, and in a color chord it is left hanging for a moment before the music moves on. Try playing G♭ and then G♭maj7 and listen to what the added note does.
Other chords built on F-sharp
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