Read left to right, 6th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger flat across all 6 strings at the 2nd fret — the barre.
- Middle finger on the 3rd fret of the D string (4th).
- Ring finger on the 3rd fret of the G string (3rd).
- Little finger on the 4th fret of the A string (5th).
String by string
What each string does in this shape, and which note of the chord it sounds. This is what to listen for when you pluck them one at a time.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note | In the chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th (low E) | fret 2 | index | F♯2 | root |
| 5th (A) | fret 4 | little | C♯3 | fifth |
| 4th (D) | fret 3 | middle | E♯3 | major seventh |
| 3rd (G) | fret 3 | ring | A♯3 | third |
| 2nd (B) | fret 2 | index | C♯4 | fifth |
| 1st (high E) | fret 2 | index | F♯4 | root |
One string at a time: a chord strummed into a microphone is several notes at once, and a single string is something the page can hear exactly. A string in tune but on the wrong fret, or deadened by the finger beside it, shows up here and not on a tuner. Tap a string to check it again.
3 other ways to play F♯maj7
The same 4 notes, somewhere else on the neck. A different shape puts a different note on top, so each one colours the chord slightly differently — and one of them is usually nearer the chord you are coming from.
- xx4666A shape at the 4th fret · four fingers
- x-9-11-10-11-9A barre at the 9th fret and three more fingers
- x98666A barre at the 6th fret and two more fingers
If the usual shape is too hard for now
Or use a capo: clamp it at the 2nd fret and play the Emaj7 shape. Every string is raised 2 semitones, so that open shape now sounds F♯maj7.
Holding it cleanly
The barre is the hard part. Lay the index finger just behind the 2nd fret, roll it slightly onto its bony outer edge, and keep the thumb behind the neck opposite it. Pluck the barred strings one at a time: a buzz or a dead string means the finger is not flat there yet.
The notes in F♯maj7
A major seventh chord is built from the root (1), 3, 5 and 7 of its root’s major scale. From F♯ that gives F♯ – A♯ – C♯ – E♯ (F). A major chord with the note a semitone under its root added: soft, open, and at rest.
The same root, other chords: F♯ major, F♯m, F♯7, F♯m7, F♯sus2, F♯sus4, F♯dim, F♯aug.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a F♯maj7 chord?
F♯ major seventh is four notes: F♯ – A♯ – C♯ – E♯ (F) — the root, 3, 5 and 7 of the F♯ major scale. On guitar the shape 243322 sounds F♯2, C♯3, E♯3, A♯3, C♯4 and F♯4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play F♯maj7 on guitar?
The usual shape is 243322 — a barre chord at the 2nd fret, with a barre at the 2nd fret and three more fingers. Or put a capo on the 2nd fret and play the Emaj7 shape, which then sounds F♯maj7.
Is F♯maj7 the same chord as G♭maj7?
Yes — on guitar they are the same frets and the same sound. F♯ and G♭ are two names for one pitch, and which name a songbook prints depends on the key: a piece in a sharp key writes F♯maj7, a piece in a flat key writes G♭maj7.
What is the difference between F♯maj7 and F♯7?
F♯maj7 has the natural seventh (E♯), a semitone below the root; F♯7 flattens it another semitone. F♯maj7 is soft and at rest; F♯7 is restless and leads somewhere. A songbook that says F♯7 does not mean F♯maj7.