Banjo F♯ chord (Sawmill)F♯ major on the 5-string banjo: 4 3 1 4, and 3 more shapes

F# chord chart for 5-string banjo in Sawmill tuning: 4 3 1 4, first position, with the short 5th string marked
F# (F# major) on the 5-string banjo, Sawmill: 4 3 1 4, string 4 to string 1. Fingers are numbered on the dots; copper marks the root; the green ring on the left is the 5th string, solid when it’s in the chord.

Frets, string 4 to string 1: 4 3 1 4 (first position)

  1. String 4 (D): 4th fret, ring finger, F♯
  2. String 3 (G): 3rd fret, middle finger, A♯
  3. String 2 (C): 1st fret, index finger, C♯
  4. String 1 (D): 4th fret, little finger, F♯
  5. String 5, the short g: open, G, not in the chord

Sounds: F♯ A♯ C♯ F♯  ·  F♯ is F♯, A♯, C♯ (1 · 3 · 5)

Found in: B major (V), F♯ major (I), D♭ major (IV), F♯ mixolydian (I), D♭ mixolydian (IV), A♭ mixolydian (♭VII)

The 5th string: the short g rubs against the F♯ in this shape, a semitone away: some players let it ring, some skip it.

With a capo: on the 4th fret it’s 0 2 2 4 (frets counted from the capo), an open D shape. Spike the 5th string at the 9th fret to keep it in tune with the capo.

Sawmill tuning: gDGCD, the short 5th string first, then strings 4 to 1.

Hear it in the app ›

The link can’t set the tuning: the app starts in open G. Choose Sawmill once in its Settings and it remembers.

More F♯ shapes

  1. 6fr3114gA♯C♯F♯A♯8 6 6 8
    6fr
  2. 8fr1324gA♯F♯A♯C♯8 11 10 11
    8fr
  3. 10fr2314gC♯F♯A♯C♯11 11 10 11
    10fr

Other F♯ chords in Sawmill

F♯F♯mF♯7

Other major chords

GADCBEFB♭E♭F♯C♯A♭

F♯ in other tunings

Open GDouble COpen DC Tuning

All Sawmill banjo chords · Printable chart (PDF) · How to tune · The app