Scale degrees · F♯ major

The ♭5 of F♯ is C

The ♭5 (flat five, written b5) of F♯ (F sharp, F#) is C: a diminished fifth above the root.

F♯ — the root, 1C — the ♭5

How to find it

Count letters first, the root included: F, G, A, B, C. A 5th lands on C.

Then the sound: a diminished fifth is 6 semitones above F♯, which is exactly where C is — no sharp or flat needed.

Where you meet it

The ♭5 halves the octave: a tritone above F♯. It is the 5th of the half-diminished and the diminished chord.

In F♯m7♭5:

F♯ · A · C · E

The ♭5 in every key

KeyThe ♭5
CG♭
GD♭
DA♭
AE♭
EB♭
BF
F♯C
D♭A𝄫
A♭E𝄫
E♭B𝄫
B♭F♭
FC♭

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