F#7 Chord on Guitar
F#7 = F# – A# – C# – E (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th)
F#7 sits at the second fret using the E-shape dominant-seventh barre, close enough to open position that it inherits the same relative comfort as the second-fret F# major and F# minor barre chords in this key family. It's built from the open E7 shape shifted up two frets with a barre added, needing three fretted notes beyond the barre itself, the leanest of the three F#-rooted barre-chord qualities.
The flat seventh gives F#7 the classic dominant pull, and as the V7 of B major it sets up a strong resolution into a key that, while less common on guitar than E or A major, appears often enough in music favoring slightly brighter, higher-register barre voicings. F#7 is the natural chord to play right before landing on B major, giving that resolution real harmonic weight and forward motion. Because it sits so low on the neck, F#7 is also a good chord for comparing directly against open E7 and A7, since all three share a closely related fingering logic (barre or open position, plus a compact three-or-four-note dominant-seventh shape), which is useful for building genuine relative-pitch recognition of what a dominant seventh sounds like across different roots. Guitarists working in the key of B major, or briefly tonicizing it as a secondary dominant target from E or F# minor, encounter this chord regularly despite B major itself being a less common home key.
Fingerings
Barre (2nd fret)
How to Practice It
Because it shares its low second-fret position with F# major and F# minor, practice all three back to back, since the finger differences between them mirror exactly the differences between the open E, Em and E7 shapes they're each built from — internalizing that relationship here reinforces it for every other root position elsewhere on the neck. Listen specifically for the flat seventh's slightly unresolved color against the plain F# triads, since training your ear to recognize that tension is what makes dominant sevenths musically useful rather than just another chord shape to memorize. Drill the F#7-to-B resolution specifically, and also try substituting F#7 in for the final beat of an F# major chord right before that resolution, a common embellishment that adds extra pull without changing the overall harmonic plan. Because this whole shape sits so close to the nut, it's also a good one for beginners still building general barre confidence to practice on before tackling anything higher up the neck. Try holding the barre through a slow four-count while consciously relaxing every finger not actively needed for the chord, since carrying unnecessary tension in the hand is a habit that's much easier to correct at this comfortable, low fret than after it's become ingrained on harder shapes further up the neck.
Common Progressions
- V7–I in B major: F#7 – B
- F#7 as a secondary dominant into B within an E major song: E – F#7 – B – E
- I7–IV7–V7 twelve-bar blues in F#: F#7 – B7 – C#7
FAQ
- Is F#7 easy compared to other barre chords?
- Yes, relatively — it sits at just the second fret, close to open position, and its underlying shape (built from open E7) needs one fewer fretted note than either F# major or F# minor at the same position.
- Why does F#7 matter for B-major players?
- It's the dominant seventh of B major, giving strong resolving motion into that key's tonic chord, so any progression centered on B major is likely to lean on F#7 as its lead-in chord.
- How does F#7 compare in difficulty to open E7?
- The fingering pattern is essentially the identical E7 shape, just moved up two frets with a barre added, so anyone comfortable with open E7 already knows the shape and only needs to add the barre itself.
- Does F#7 ever function outside of B major?
- Yes — as a secondary dominant it can also briefly tonicize B minor, since a dominant seventh built on the fifth degree resolves convincingly to either the major or minor tonic sharing that same root, and it can appear as a passing chord even in songs that only touch on B major in transit.
- Is F#7 a good chord for a beginner's first taste of dominant-seventh barre chords?
- Yes — its low fret position and lean three-finger shape beyond the barre make it one of the gentlest introductions to dominant-seventh barre voicings, considerably friendlier than tackling a higher-fret version like C#7 or D#7 before the basic barre technique is comfortable.
- Why is F#7 grouped so closely with F# major and F# minor in this chord library?
- All three share the identical second-fret barre position, differing only in which fingers land where above the index-finger barre, so learning them as one connected family — rather than three unrelated chords — is both more efficient and closer to how the underlying shapes actually relate to each other.
- Is this chord ever confused with F7 by beginners?
- Occasionally, purely by name similarity, but the two are entirely different pitches a half-step apart with completely different fingerings — F7 sits at the tricky first fret, while F#7 sits one fret higher with a considerably friendlier physical demand.
F#7 on other instruments: F#7 on Piano, F#7 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.