F#m Guitar Chord

F#m is the F sharp minor chord. It has three notes: F♯, A and C♯. The standard shape is a full six string barre at the 2nd fret, which makes F#m, along with Bm, one of the two barre chords beginners hit first. A four string version with no full barre is further down the page.

An Em shape barred across all six strings at fret 2. The index holds the barre while ring and pinky add the root and fifth.

How to play F#m, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the low E to high E strings at fret 2
Ring finger: 4th fret, A string
Pinky finger: 4th fret, D string
Strum all six strings.

This is the open Em shape hiding behind a barre. If you can picture Em two frets higher, you already know where every note of F#m lives.

Easy F#m for beginners (no barre)

The full F#m asks your index finger to hold down all six strings at once. If that is not happening yet, play xx4222: ring finger on the 4th fret of the D string, and the index laid across just the top three strings at the 2nd fret. Pressing three light strings takes a fraction of the strength of pressing six.

You lose nothing that defines the chord. A minor chord is its root, third and fifth, and this shape holds all three: F♯, A and C♯, with the root doubled on top. Only the low bass strings are missing.

Play it in songs now and treat the six string barre as a separate daily exercise. The small shape sits inside the big one, so the day your barre arrives, your other three fingers will already know their places.

More ways to play F#m

There are 4 common F#m shapes in total: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these, easiest first. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

F#m guitar chord diagram, easier, small barre, played xx4222 — Easier, small barre

F#m guitar chord diagram, compact, frets 4 to 7, played xx4675 — Compact, frets 4 to 7

F#m guitar chord diagram, barre at fret 9, played x 9 11 11 10 9 — Barre at fret 9

Songs that use the F#m chord

If it rattles or cuts out

Strings buzz under the barre: Four of the six strings speak through the barre alone here: the low E, G, B and high E. Roll the index a little toward the headstock onto its firmer edge, and pull gently back with the arm instead of squeezing the thumb.
The G string goes quiet: The ring and pinky at the 4th fret can sag onto the G string and mute it. Keep both on their tips, side by side, arched over the strings they are not playing.
The chord starts clean, then fades mid song: That is grip fatigue. Bring your elbow closer to your body and let arm weight share the load; a full squeeze from the thumb cannot last a whole song.

What makes it an F#m

F♯ · A · C♯ 1 ♭3 5

F#m is a minor triad: F♯, a minor third A, and a fifth C♯. It is the relative minor of A major, so it constantly appears in A major songs as the vi chord, and in the key of E it is the ii. Those two keys cover a huge slice of guitar music, which is why F#m keeps showing up long before your barre feels ready: Tears in Heaven reaches it in A, and All My Loving hits it in E.

F#m vs F#

The two differ by one note: A in F#m, A♯ in F# major. On guitar both are barres at the 2nd fret; the major adds the middle finger on the G string at the 3rd fret, while in F#m that string stays under the barre. If you can play one, you are one finger away from the other. In the common keys of A and E it is almost always the minor you want.

F#m chord questions

Is F#m harder than Bm?

They are close. Bm barres five strings, F#m barres all six, so many players find Bm slightly easier. Both train the same skill, and whichever you learn first makes the other one quick.

Can I play F#m without a full barre?

Yes. The xx4222 version needs only the ring finger plus a small index press across the top three strings, and it keeps all three chord notes.

Is Gbm the same chord as F#m?

Yes. G flat minor and F sharp minor are the same pitches spelled two ways. Guitar charts almost always write F#m.

What songs use F#m?

Hey There Delilah, Tears in Heaven, All My Loving and Message in a Bottle all use it.

Why does F#m come up so often?

It is the relative minor of A and the ii chord of E, two of the friendliest guitar keys. Play in either for long and F#m is waiting.