F♯ minor 7 (F♯m7) — F♯, A, C♯, E — is F♯ minor with a minor 7th on top. The chord is the iim7 of E major (F♯m7 → B7 → Emaj7) and the vim7 of A major. Sting's "Roxanne" famously builds on the F♯m and related extensions; jazz guitarists in A major lean on F♯m7 as a tonic-substitute.
Intervals
The F# minor 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:
- F#→Aminor 3rd3 semitones
- A→C#major 3rd4 semitones
- C#→Eminor 3rd3 semitones
On the keyboard
Each note of the F# minor 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.
On the guitar
One voicing of the F# minor 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.
- 1F#
- ♭3A
- 5C#
- ♭7E
Common mistakes
F♯m7 has F♯ and C♯ as the sharp pair, plus A and E as naturals. The most common error is reading A as A♯, which would produce F♯maj7. The two sharps + two naturals pattern is the chord's signature.
In context
F♯m7 is the iim7 of E major (F♯m7 → B7 → Emaj7) and the vim7 of A major. As the im7 of F♯ minor in modal jazz, the chord serves as a stable tonic. Many bossa-nova tunes in A major use F♯m7 in their bridges.
Drill it
The F# minor 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.
Open the Chord Trainer →Or try today's Etudle puzzleRelated
Frequently asked
- What notes are in an F♯m7 chord?
- F♯m7 contains four notes: F♯ (root), A (minor third), C♯ (perfect fifth), and E (minor seventh).
- What key does F♯m7 belong to?
- F♯m7 is the iim7 of E major and the vim7 of A major. Both keys share the same three-sharp signature.
- How do you play F♯m7 on guitar?
- Most commonly a 2nd-fret E-minor-shape barre: index across all six strings on fret 2, ring finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string. Open positions are uncommon for F♯m7.
- What pieces use F♯m7?
- Sting's "Roxanne" hovers around F♯m. Many A-major jazz ballads use F♯m7 as a vim7 / tonic-substitute. Bossa-nova tunes in A often modulate through F♯m7 in their bridges.