F#m cavaquinho chord
F#m (F sharp minor) is built from F#, A and C#, the degrees 1–b3–5. On cavaquinho, the main shape is 4 2 2 4, the first diagram, marked with the star.
Quick test. Play a F# major — or just hit play on its page — and right after, press the player below. Same name, same root. But something got heavier. Nobody has to explain sadness for you to recognize it: that's F#m.
Hear F#m before you play
Why F#m sounds this way
The trick is smaller than it sounds. Two of the three notes didn't move: F# and C# stayed put. Only the middle one dropped — a half step, the smallest distance in music — and became A. Play the arpeggio again, no rush and stop at the second note. That's the one. Half a step separates a sunny day from a Monday morning.
How to play F#m on cavaquinho
On the cavaquinho, four steel strings tuned D–G–B–D pack the chord into a small, bright space — every finger counts. So the first position below is your way in — it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. And do the exercise that's worth a whole lesson: F# major, then F#m, then major again. Back and forth ten times, slowly. Your ear learns the difference before your brain does.
In the app: 10 F#m shapes on cavaquinho
With the fingering and audio of each one, free. In the app, the arpeggio of each shape is part of Pro.
Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · see it in Chord and Fret
Once the first shape comes out without thinking, the positions below are waiting. That's where F#m lives in songs that roam the neck.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
F#m notes and degrees
F#m stacks the root F#, the minor third A and the perfect fifth C#.
Where F#m shows up
In real music, F#m works almost always as iv in C# minor, i in F# minor, v in B minor. In pop everywhere it tends to be the famous vi — the chord the chorus runs to when it wants to get serious without changing key. You've heard it a thousand times; now you'll start noticing it.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
Identify Chord: Found a shape on your fretboard? Mark it on the screen and the app names the chord, 5 times a day for free · try it in Chord and Fret
Real songs pass through here: Reggae · minor vamp
Where F#m usually goes
Treating F#m as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (Bm) or the dominant (C#7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
Going beyond F#m
When it's time to improvise, F# Dorian (F# G# A B C# D# E · 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7: the minor scale with a major sixth — the minor that smirks); F# Aeolian (F# G# A B C# D E · 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: the natural minor, the major scale's relative sibling); F# Phrygian (F# G A B C# D E · 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: the minor with a lowered second — a Spanish seasoning) work in full. The swaps below are the chord's cousins: different color, same job.
F# Dorian
In the app: the 7 positions of F# Dorian on cavaquinho
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same F# Dorian in its main shapes along the neck — pick whichever position sits under your hand. The rings mark the guide notes (the 3rd and 7th) that carry this chord's color.
Scale: The scale's positions across the neck, with degree, note and finger labels, free; playing the scale and the tempo-ramp exercise are part of Pro · see it in Chord and Fret
Scales to improvise over F#m
To improvise over F#m as home, the F# Aeolian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. And when the dominant (C#) pulls back, the leading tone F is the note that wants to resolve home.
Swaps that work:
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · use it in Chord and Fret
There's one step left in this story. The serious F#m you just learned has a softer, late-afternoon version that lo-fi and bossa nova love: F#m7. Go hear the difference.
F#m chord questions
What notes are in the F#m chord?
The F#m chord is made of the notes F#, A and C#.
How do you play F#m on cavaquinho?
Form the shape from string 4 to string 1: 4 2 2 4. The shape starts at fret 2.
What chord comes after F#m?
Treating F#m as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (Bm) or the dominant (C#7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
What scale works over F#m?
To improvise over F#m as home, the F# Aeolian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.