The F Sharp Minor Scale: A Complete Guide - Music Theory (2024)

The F Sharp Minor scale is a 7 note scale that uses the following notes:

F#, G#, A, B, C#, D and E

The scale is usually written as starting and ending on F sharp and it can be repeating at higher or lower octaves. F# Minor is a diatonic scale, which means that it is in a key, in this case the key of F# Minor!

The Natural Minor Scale

There are three types of minor scale: the natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor. In this post we will stick to A Natural Minor Scale, but you learn aboutF# Harmonic MinorandF# Melodic Minorin our other articles.

How is the F# Natural Minor scale created?

All Natural Minor scales follow a specific pattern of tones and semitones (steps and half steps). The tone pattern is:

Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone

If we take the start at a C and follow the pattern we will get the C Natural Minor Scale. To create the F# Natural Minor scale, follow the tone/semitone pattern starting on the note F#.

Whichever note you start on, you will always achieve the minor scale starting on this note.

F Sharp Minor Scale on the Piano

As you can see, if we were to play this scale on the piano diagram we only use the white keys.

To play this scale on the piano use the fingers written below.

F Sharp Minor Scale on the Guitar

To play the F# Natural Minor scale on the guitar use the tab below.

Degrees of the Scale: F Sharp Minor

Each note in the F# Minor scale has a position that we call the degree of the scale. The first note of the scale is called the ‘tonic’ note.

Key Signature for F Sharp Minor

Rather than writing the sharp signs on the individual notes, we can now make use of the key signature. F# Minor is the relative minor of A Major. You can work this out because F# is the sixth note of A Major.

This means that they both share the same key signature and have 3 sharps: F#, G# and C#.

And here is the full scale with the key signature.

F Sharp Minor Scale in Different Clefs

Treble Clef

Below is the F# Natural Minor Scale written out in the treble clef, both ascending and descending.

Bass Clef

Below is the F# Natural Minor Scale written out in the bass clef, both ascending and descending.

Alto Clef

Below is the F# Natural Minor Scale written out in the alto clef, both ascending and descending.

Tenor Clef

Below is the F# Natural Minor Scale written out in the tenor clef, both ascending and descending.

What is the Relative Major of F Sharp Minor

As you can see from the circle of fifths diagram F# Minor is the relative minor of A Major. Or to say it another way: A Major is the relative major of F# Minor. This means that A Major and F# Minor share the same key signature and have 3 sharps: F#, C# and G#.

Remember that both scales are identical, except for the fact that F# Minor start on a ‘F#’ and A Major starts on an ‘A’.

What are the chords in the F Sharp Minor scale?

There are chords starting on each note of the F# Minor Scale. To learn more, see our dedicated post onF# Minor Chords.

What do we mean when we say a piece is ‘in the key of F Sharp Minor’?

If we say that a piece of music is in the key of F# Minor, this means a few things:

• The key signature will have thee sharps (F#, C# and G#) as the relative major is A major.
• The tonic (or root note) of the piece will be F sharp. This note will sound the most stable in the whole piece.
• The piece will mostly use notes from this scale, these could be in any octave.
• The chords used will be those chords that are in F# Minor.

What’s next….

• Learn more about the different types of minor scales with our complete guide.
• Learn about the circle of fifths and how it can help you better understand music theory.