Scale degrees · F♯ major

The 7 of F♯ is E♯

The 7 (seven) of F♯ (F sharp, F#) is E♯ (E sharp): a major seventh above the root.

F♯ — the root, 1E♯ — the 7

How to find it

Count letters first, the root included: F, G, A, B, C, D, E. A 7th lands on E.

Then the sound: a major seventh is 11 semitones above F♯, and the E that is 11 semitones up is E♯.

That is why it is E♯ and not F: F is the same key on the piano, but from F♯ it would be an unison, not a 7th.

Where you meet it

The 7 is a half step below the root: the major seventh, the 7th of the maj7 chord and the leading tone of the key.

In F♯maj7:

F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · E♯

The 7 in every key

KeyThe 7
CB
GF♯
DC♯
AG♯
ED♯
BA♯
F♯E♯
D♭C
A♭G
E♭D
B♭A
FE

Every degree of F♯

Free on iPhone and Android

Name it before
you can count it.

Improvy trains every degree in all 12 keys — the 3, the ♭7, the ♯11 — until you see the note without working it out. A few minutes a day. Free to start; Pro is one payment, never a subscription.

Or try the 60-second test in your browser