F♯maj7 Chord

How to play F♯ major 7th on guitar — warm, dreamy and jazzy — a major chord with a soft top note.

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Notes
F♯ – A♯ – C♯ – F
Frets (low → high)
2 4 3 3 2 2
Difficulty
Barre chord
Shape
Barre at fret 2

How to play F♯maj7, step by step

  1. 1Lay your index finger flat across all six strings at the 2nd fret — this is the barre, and it works like a movable nut.
  2. 2Put your ring finger on the 4th fret of the A string (5th).
  3. 3Flatten your middle finger across the D and G strings at the 3rd fret.
  4. 4Strum slowly and check every string sounds cleanly; if one buzzes, press closer to the fret wire and arch your fingers so they clear the neighbouring strings.

An easier way to play F♯maj7

F♯maj7 normally needs a barre, which is the single most common place beginners stall. A capo removes it entirely.

Put a capo on fret 1 and play an open Fmaj7 shape. The capo raises every string by 1 semitone, so what your hand fingers as Fmaj7 comes out of the guitar as F♯maj7 — the same chord, none of the strain.

What makes a major seventh chord

Warm, dreamy and jazzy — a major chord with a soft top note.

NoteIntervalSemitones above F♯
F♯root0
A♯major 3rd4
C♯5th7
Fmajor 7th11

Other F♯ chords

Same root, different colour. Swapping one of these into a progression is the quickest way to change its mood without changing the key.

Every major 7th chord

The same shape moved around the neck. If you can play F♯maj7 you are a fret-slide away from all of these.

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the F♯maj7 chord?
F♯maj7 is made of F♯, A♯, C♯, F — the root, major 3rd, 5th, major 7th of F♯.
Is F♯maj7 hard to play?
F♯maj7 is usually played as a barre chord at the 2nd fret, which takes some hand strength. An easier route is a capo on fret 1 and the open Fmaj7 shape — it sounds identical.
How do I play F♯maj7 without a barre?
Put a capo on fret 1 and play the open Fmaj7 shape. The capo raises every string by 1 semitone, so the shape sounds as F♯maj7 while your hand does far less work.

Got a chart full of chords like F♯maj7?

Upload a chord sheet and move every chord into a key that fits your hands and your voice — the layout stays exactly as printed. Or let the capo calculator pick the position that turns the barre chords into open ones.