Guitar scale · Ionian mode
F# Major Scale
Bright, balanced major scale forming the foundation of Western music and pop/rock.
Tap any note to hear it.
F# Major Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------2-4-6-| B|-------------------------4-6-------| G|-------------------3-4-6-----------| D|-------------3-4-6-----------------| A|-------2-4-6-----------------------| E|-2-4-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-6-7-| B|-------------------------6-7-------| G|-------------------4-6-8-----------| D|-------------4-6-8-----------------| A|-------4-6-8-----------------------| E|-4-6-7-----------------------------|
e|------------------------------6-7-9-| B|--------------------------7-9-------| G|-------------------6-8-10-----------| D|-------------6-8-9------------------| A|-------6-8-9------------------------| E|-6-7-9------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------9-11-13-| B|----------------------------------11-12---------| G|-------------------------10-11-13---------------| D|-----------------9-11-13------------------------| A|---------9-11-13--------------------------------| E|-9-11-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------11-13-15-------------------------| A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
How to play F# Major on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F# on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 2–6. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
F# major shares all its notes with D# minor, its relative minor. On the guitar those are the same frets as Eb minor, the name it is listed under here. See the Eb Minor Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | F# |
| 2 | G# |
| 3 | A# |
| 4 | B |
| 5 | C# |
| 6 | D# |
| 7 | E# |
Chords in F# Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F# Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | F# | F#maj7 | Tonic |
| ii | G#m | G#m7 | Supertonic |
| iii | A#m | A#m7 | Mediant |
| IV | B | Bmaj7 | Subdominant |
| V | C# | C#7 | Dominant |
| vi | D#m | D#m7 | Submediant |
| vii° | E#dim | E#m7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F# Major anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the F# Major Scale?
- The F# Major Scale has 7 notes: F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E#.
- What chords are in the F# Major Scale?
- The chords of F# Major are F# (I), G#m (ii), A#m (iii), B (IV), C# (V), D#m (vi), E#dim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play F# Major on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.