F#maj7 Ukulele Chord
F#maj7 is the F sharp major seventh chord. It has four notes: F sharp, A sharp, C sharp and F. The standard shape is the Fmaj7 staircase moved up one fret: four fingers, one per string, spread from the 2nd fret to the 5th.
The maj7 staircase one fret up from Fmaj7: index at the 2nd fret of the E string, middle at the 3rd of the G, ring at the 4th of the A, pinky at the 5th of the C.
How to play F#maj7 on ukulele, step by step
- Index finger: 2nd fret, E string
- Middle finger: 3rd fret, G string
- Ring finger: 4th fret, A string
- Pinky finger: 5th fret, C string
- Strum all four strings.
The staircase is fully movable, and this root proves it: every finger from the Fmaj7 shape slides up one fret and the chord follows. One fret further and it is Gmaj7.
More ways to play F#maj7
There are 3 common F#maj7 shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.
Firm and even, the barre giving the chord one solid attack.
Thin and chiming this high; it speaks better picked than strummed.
If the spread will not settle
- The pinky note at the 5th fret goes missing
- It is the longest reach in the shape. Keep the pinky curled and press with the very tip; a collapsed pinky mutes the C string instead of fretting it.
- Fingers brush neighbouring strings
- Four fingers on four strings leaves no spare room. Stand each on its tip and check strings one at a time with a slow pick before strumming.
- The whole shape drifts flat or sharp
- Place the index at the 2nd fret of the E string first and build the other three around it. An anchored index keeps the staircase in position.
What makes it an F#maj7
F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · F 1 3 5 7
F#maj7 is a major seventh chord: an F sharp major triad (F sharp, A sharp, C sharp) plus a major seventh. Strict spelling calls that seventh E sharp, but it is the F key you press, and chord charts, this one included, write the plain note. It sits a half step under the root, which is the maj7 sound in a nutshell.
F#maj7 is the I chord of F sharp major and the IV chord of C sharp major. Charts often spell the whole key in flats and write Gbmaj7; either way it belongs to ballads, R&B and songs that have modulated somewhere lush.
F# vs F#maj7
F sharp major is 3121, a compact grip near the nut. F#maj7 spreads instead: one finger per string from the 2nd fret to the 5th, trading the tight cluster for four separate voices with the seventh woven in.
The plain chord closes; the maj7 floats. In a slow song in F sharp or D flat, the maj7 is usually the colour the melody wants underneath it.
F#maj7 chord questions
Are F#maj7 and Gbmaj7 the same chord?
Yes, identical notes with two spellings. Flat side charts write Gbmaj7; sharp side charts write F#maj7. The shape does not change.
Why does this page say F instead of E sharp?
Strict theory spells the seventh of F sharp as E sharp, but it is the F key you press. Chord charts name the plain note, and this page follows them.
Is F#maj7 hard on the ukulele?
It uses all four fingers, one per string, so it earns its Hard label. Learn the Fmaj7 staircase first: this is exactly that shape one fret higher.
What is the difference between F#maj7 and F#7?
The seventh. F#7 carries an E natural and pushes toward B; F#maj7 raises it a half step and stays put.
What keys use F#maj7?
It is the I chord of F sharp (often written G flat) major and the IV chord of C sharp major, keys beloved of soul and gospel writers.
Chords to learn next
Other F# chords
F#maj7 ukulele chord chart (3524) from melodician.com