F♯ seven chordF♯7

Built from

• F♯root
• A♯major 3rd
• C♯5th
• Eflat 7th

The flat 7th rubs against the major 3rd, and that tension wants to resolve.

Hear it in a progression

• ii–V–I

  The backbone of jazz. In B major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. C♯m7ii7
  2. F♯7V7
  3. Bmaj7Imaj7
  4. Bmaj7Imaj7

• Blues opening

  The first four bars of a twelve-bar blues. In F♯ major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. F♯7I7
  2. B7IV7
  3. F♯7I7
  4. F♯7I7

Where it goes next

Thinking in B major, where it is the V7 chord.

• Bmaj7

  Imaj7. The strongest pull in music: tension resolving home.

• G♯m7

  vi7. The fake-out: you expect home, you get the relative minor.

Sounds close

• C♯dim7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have A♯, C♯ and E.

• D♯m7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have F♯, A♯ and C♯.

• C7

  Tritone substitute: swaps in for it in jazz. Both have A♯ and E.

• C♯m

  Shares 2 of its notes. Both have C♯ and E.

Scales that fit

Notes you can play over this chord, simplest first.

• F♯ major pentatonic
• F♯ minor pentatonic
• F♯ blues
• F♯ mixolydian

Keys it lives in

• B majoras V7
• G♯ minoras VII7