F# Minor
2nd Fret (Em-shape Barre)The standard F#m — Em-shape barre at the 2nd fret. A full six-string voicing with the root on the low E string.
F# Minor
9th Fret (Am-shape Barre)Am-shape barre at the 9th fret. A full five-string F#m voicing with the root on the A string — comfortable mid-to-upper neck position.
F# Minor
4th Fret (4-String)Four-string Dm-shape voicing at the 4th position. Clean and articulate — great for arpeggios and melodic playing.
F# Minor
2nd Fret (Compact Triad)All three top strings barred at the 2nd fret — an A, C#, F# triad = F#m. One barre finger, instant chord.
F# Minor
9th Fret (Compact Triad)Compact three-note F#m triad on the top strings at the 9th position. Bright and precise for high-register chord work.
Tips for Playing the F#m Chord
F#m appears in countless hit songs
Because F#m is the relative minor of A major, it appears in nearly every song in the key of A. Developing a clean F#m barre is one of the most valuable skills a guitarist can build.
Compact 2nd-fret triad is instant
Barring just the G, B, and e strings at the 2nd fret with one finger gives you a clean F#m triad. This is the fastest way to play F#m and works well in rhythm guitar contexts.
A major → F#m is a natural move
In the key of A major, F#m is the vi chord. Moving from A major (2nd-fret barre-free or full shape) to F#m (2nd-fret Em-shape barre) keeps both chords in a similar fret-board position.
Use the 9th-fret shape for variety
The Am-shape barre at the 9th fret produces the same F#m chord. Alternating between the 2nd-fret Em-shape and 9th-fret Am-shape during a song adds tonal variety.
Common progressions
In A major: A → E → F#m → D is one of the most played progressions in all of pop music. In D major: D → A → F#m → G and D → Bm → F#m → G are widely used sequences.
F#m is the relative minor of A
F#m and A major share the same notes: F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E. Scale patterns and chord voicings overlap, so learning A major deeply also deepens your command of F#m.
About the F#m Chord on Guitar
The F# minor chord is built from three notes: F# (the root), A (the minor 3rd), and C# (the perfect 5th). It is the relative minor of A major and one of the most commonly used minor chords in contemporary music. The Em-shape barre at the 2nd fret is the standard F#m shape and appears in hundreds of popular songs in the key of A major. A single-finger barre across the top three strings at the 2nd fret provides an accessible entry point. F#m also functions as the iii chord in D major and the vi chord in A major. This page covers five practical voicings from the standard Em-shape barre to the Am-shape at the 9th fret, a four-string voicing, and two compact triads. Every diagram is interactive with real acoustic guitar sound.
- 015 F#m chord shapes from beginner to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Real acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04Em-shape barre, Am-shape barre, and compact triad voicings
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 3 notes that form the F# Minor chord and their role in the major scale.
Every minor chord follows this same formula — root, minor third, perfect fifth.