‘F Sharp Aeolian’ is the 6th mode of the A Major scale. The notes in F# Aeolian are:
F# – G# – A – B – C# – D – E
If you have read the post on understanding the aeolian mode, you will know that the aeolian mode contains a ‘flat 3’, a ‘flat 6’ and a ‘flat 7’ (parallel approach). You will also know that it is the 6th mode of the major scale (derivative approach). The aeolian mode is a very commonly used mode and is also known as the ‘natural minor scale’. Let’s briefly look at how to construct F# aeolian using both the parallel approach and the derivative approach.
F Sharp Aeolian Mode Using The Parallel Approach
F# Major has the following notes:
F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D# – E#
If we ‘lower’ the 3rd note (A#), 6th note (D#) and 7th note (E#), we get the following:
F# – G# – A – B – C# – D – E
F Sharp Aeolian Mode Using The Derivative Approach
F# is the 6th note of the A Major scale.
A – B – C# – D – E – F# – G#
If we play the A major scale and start on the 6th note we get the following:
F# – G# – A – B – C# – D – E
Let’s look at the F# aeolian mode in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:
F Sharp Aeolian in the Open Position
Firstly, let’s look at the open position:
F Sharp Aeolian CAGED Positions
Now let’s look at F# aeolian in the 5 different CAGED positions along the fretboard.
F Sharp Aeolian 1st Position (Lowest Fret is 1)
F Sharp Aeolian 4th Position (Lowest Fret is 4)
F Sharp Aeolian 5th Position (Lowest Fret is 5)
F Sharp Aeolian 9th Position (Lowest Fret is 9)
F Sharp Aeolian 10th Position (Lowest Fret is 10)
That covers the 5 basic positions and the open position of F# aeolian along the guitar fretboard. For an in depth explanation of the aeolian mode, check out aeolian mode explained.
Further Reading
- F#m chord (F# Aeolian works well over this chord)
- F#m7 chord (F# Aeolian works well over this chord)
- A Major scale is the relative Major of F# minor
