Chord · Piano
F♯ Diminished Chord · Piano
Interactive keyboard
Highlighted notes form this chord.
Notes
F♯ · A · C
Root: F♯
Intervals
1 · ♭3 · ♭5
How it is built
This chord starts on F♯ and applies the intervals 1, ♭3, ♭5. The result contains 3 distinct pitch classes per octave.
Explore related combinations
Guide and musical context
About F♯ Diminished Piano Chord
F♯ Diminished Piano chord contains F♯, A, C. Its sound is unstable and compressed, built from two minor thirds.
Character and sound
Unstable and compressed, built from two minor thirds.
Musical context and history
The diminished triad is part of tonal harmony’s tension and voice-leading vocabulary. Its diminished fifth avoids a sense of rest and encourages semitone motion.
How and where it is used
It is used as a passing chord, leading-tone chord and chromatic connector.
On piano, the notes can be distributed between both hands and across different octaves. The interactive keyboard makes it easy to verify pitches and experiment with inversions or registers without changing the harmony. Everything you see and hear on this page comes from the same note set shown above.
Harmonic and musical relationships
Compare this chord with other variants sharing the root F♯. Changing a single third, fifth, seventh or extension makes it easy to hear which interval defines the chord’s character.
The formula on this page is 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 and, from F♯, produces the notes F♯ · A · C.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the F♯ Diminished Piano chord?
The notes are F♯, A, C.
What is its interval formula?
The formula is 1 · ♭3 · ♭5.
How does it sound and what is it used for?
Unstable and compressed, built from two minor thirds. It is used as a passing chord, leading-tone chord and chromatic connector.
How can I check it on Piano?
Use the interactive diagram on this page and press Play or Note by note. The highlighted positions, written notes and playback all use the same pitch collection.