What F♯dim is built from
Counting up in semitones from F♯:
| Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|
| F♯ | root | 0 |
| A | minor third | 3 |
| C | diminished fifth | 6 |
Move all three of those the same distance and you get the same chord on another root — that is what the diminished triad formula 0 – 3 – 6 means.
How to play F♯dim
Leave the B and top E strings out. Lay your first finger flat across fret 2 and let the other fingers take the notes above it. Nothing is higher than fret 4, so it sits in first position.
All four strings are played. The C and A strings ring open. Nothing is higher than fret 2, so it sits in first position.
Play F♯, A and C together. That is two white keys and one black.
Numbers in the grids are frets. Where a number is printed beside a grid, that is the fret the top row stands for; otherwise the thick bar at the top is the nut. A circle above a string means play it open, a cross means leave it out.
Guitar, string by string
| Guitar string | Stopped at | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| low E | fret 2 | F♯ |
| A | fret 3 | C |
| D | fret 4 | F♯ |
| G | fret 2 | A |
| B | not played | — |
| top E | not played | — |
Ukulele, string by string
| Ukulele string | Stopped at | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| G | fret 2 | A |
| C | open | C |
| E | fret 2 | F♯ |
| A | open | A |
F♯dim on the stave
The same three notes written on a treble stave, spelled the way a diminished triad is spelled — one letter for every other step, with whichever accidental reaches the pitch. That is why it reads F♯, A and C, and not the same sounds written some other way.
Which keys F♯dim belongs to
| Key | Relative minor | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| G major | E minor | vii° |
Each row is a key whose scale contains every note of F♯dim. A major key and its relative minor use the same seven notes, so the chord belongs to both.
Chords that sit next to F♯dim
The seven triads built on the scale of G major. These are the chords F♯dim is most often played alongside, because they are made from the same seven notes. The small numeral is the degree each one stands on.
Other chords on F♯
Same root, different notes above it.
Chords straight off a recording
Upload a track and the studio marks its chords, key and tempo against the beat, with these same shapes and the stave underneath.
Open the studioTen uploads a month, free, no card. New accounts get seven days of everything in Pro.