Chords in the key of F# major
The seven chords that live in F# major, what each one is doing, and the progressions songwriters build from them.
| Numeral | Chord | Quality | Feels like |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | F# | major | home |
| ii | G#m | minor | away |
| iii | A#m | minor | home |
| IV | B | major | away |
| V | C# | major | pulls home |
| vi | D#m | minor | home |
| vii° | E#dim | diminished | pulls home |
Progressions that work in F# major
The four-chord loop
F# C# D#m B
I – V – vi – IV
The pop workhorse; hundreds of hits run on exactly this loop.
Three-chord classic
F# B C#
I – IV – V
Folk, blues, country, punk: the whole song in three chords.
The doo-wop turn
F# D#m B C#
I – vi – IV – V
The 50s progression; instant nostalgia, still everywhere in ballads.
Jazz turnaround
G#m C# F#
ii – V – I
ii–V–I: the strongest way home a key has. Add 7ths for the full flavor.
How to use this key
Every key is the same machine with different letters. Three of these chords feel like home (F#, A#m, D#m), two lean away (G#m, B), and two pull back toward home (C#, E#dim). A progression is just a route through those three feelings, which is why the loops above work in any key: the numerals stay the same, only the spelling changes.
Write with the letters, think with the numerals. If a melody outgrows F# major, the whole chart moves at once: transpose it to any key and every chord re-spells itself correctly.
F# major shares its entire chord set with Eb minor, its relative minor; the same seven chords, heard around a different home. Its nearest neighbors on the circle of fifths are Db major and B major, one accidental away in either direction.
SongSheet keeps all of this live under a real chart: the key palette, the numerals, and capo math follow your song as you write. Start a chart free; no account needed.