F#maj7 guitar chord
F#maj7 (F sharp major seventh) is built from F#, A#, C# and E#, the degrees 1–3–5–7. On guitar, the main shape is 2 4 3 3 2 2, the first diagram, marked with the star.
You know the hotel-lobby pianist, playing so nobody leaves? This is their chord. F#maj7 is your regular F# with the window open — same house, more air. Hit play below and notice how it asks you to stay.
Hear F#maj7 before you play
Why F#maj7 sounds this way
Here's the curious part: F, the new note, lives a half step from F# — that close, it should grind. And it does. But A# and C# hold the room, so the grind turns into shimmer instead of a fight. Play the arpeggio again, no rush all the way to the last note and wait: you'll feel the spark without the fire. It's danger with a seatbelt on — which is why it sounds expensive.
How to play F#maj7 on guitar
On the guitar, six strings give the chord room to breathe — some positions use them all, others ask you to mute the lowest ones. So go with the first position below; it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Then do the before-and-after: F#, then F#maj7. The second is the first one after sunset. Run it a few times: this chord tends to feel odd on the first pass and addictive by the third.
In the app: 35 F#maj7 shapes on guitar
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 · try it in Chord and Fret
The mid-neck positions are the favorites of anyone backing a singer: up there, a maj7 turns into carpet. File that away for the day you play with someone.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
F#maj7 notes and degrees
F#maj7 stacks the root F#, the major third A#, the perfect fifth C# and the major seventh E#.
Where F#maj7 shows up
Across keys, F#maj7 works as IVmaj7 in C# major, IIImaj7 in D# minor, Imaj7 in F# major — almost always the deluxe I or the elegant IV. Bossa nova made it a signature and the world copied it; today you hear this chord from jazz to indie pop without it asking permission.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · use it 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 · open in Chord and Fret
Where F#maj7 usually goes
Treating F#maj7 as the home chord (I) of its key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (G#m / B) or the dominant (C# / E#°), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
Going beyond F#maj7
For improvising, F# Ionian (F# G# A# B C# D# E# · 1 2 3 4 5 6 7: the plain major scale, where everything starts); F# Lydian (F# G# A# B# C# D# E# · 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7: the major scale with a raised fourth — one extra step of daydream); F# Lydian ♯2 (F# G## A# B# C# D# E# · 1 #2 3 #4 5 6 7: a lydian with a raised second, harmonic-major color) wrap the whole chord. And the jazz shapes at the end are the same four notes spread across the neck, for the day you want to sound like an arranger.
F# Ionian
In the app: the 7 positions of F# Ionian on guitar
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same F# Ionian 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.
Scales to improvise over F#maj7
To improvise over F#maj7 as home, the F# Ionian scale fits entirely: 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:
- D#m7D#m7D#m7D#m7 — Relative minor (vi) — same tonic function
- A#m7A#m7A#m7A#m7 — Mediant (iii) — tonic function
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · see it in Chord and Fret
F#maj7 jazz voicings
Jazz Lab: Drop 2 voicings in any key, free; drop 3 and shell are part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
If at some point you want the ground back, it's one click away: F# without the seventh. The house hasn't moved.
F#maj7 chord questions
What notes are in the F#maj7 chord?
The F#maj7 chord is made of the notes F#, A#, C# and E#.
How do you play F#maj7 on guitar?
Form the shape from string 6 to string 1: 2 4 3 3 2 2. The shape starts at fret 2.
What chord comes after F#maj7?
Treating F#maj7 as the home chord (I) of its key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (G#m / B) or the dominant (C# / E#°), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
What scale works over F#maj7?
To improvise over F#maj7 as home, the F# Ionian scale fits entirely: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.