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Guitar chords · Diminished

F♯° chord on guitar (F#dim)

F♯° (F♯ ) has three notes: F♯, A and C, the , ♭3 and ♭5.

Shapes

How to play F♯°

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

F♯° has no common . Play it as the E shape at 2 or the A shape at fret 9. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • E shape · fret 2

    ××R♭5R♭3F♯CF♯A
  • A shape · fret 9

    9fr××R♭5R♭3F♯CF♯A
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes F♯° diminished

A chord stacks two minor 3rds, so its 5th is a flat. It sounds tense and unstable and is usually a passing chord; in a major key it is the vii° chord.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The ♭3rd and the ♭5th make F♯° a chord.

  1. F♯Rroot
  2. A♭3essential
  3. C♭5essential
EADGBE0135791215F♯F♯F♯F♯F♯F♯F♯F♯ACACACACACACACAC
  • F♯, the root
  • Other chord tones

F♯° usually resolves up a to G or Gm, the chord it leads into.

F♯° and G♭° are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with F♯°

F♯° belongs to three keys: G major (vii°), E minor (ii°) and G minor (vii°, ).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

F♯° over another bass note

A keeps F♯° on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • F♯°/A

    F♯° with its ♭3rd, A, in the bass: the first inversion.

  • F♯°/C

    F♯° with its ♭5th, C, in the bass: the second inversion.

Questions

F♯°, in short

What notes are in the F♯° chord?
F♯° (F♯ ) has three notes: F♯, A and C, the , ♭3 and ♭5.
How do you play F♯° on guitar?
F♯° has no common . Play it as the E shape at 2 or the A shape at fret 9.
What key is F♯° in?
F♯° belongs to three keys: G major (vii°), E minor (ii°) and G minor (vii°, ).
Is F♯° the same as G♭°?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. F♯° is the spelling in G major, E minor and G minor. No key on the circle spells it G♭°, so you will rarely see that name.
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