Fm9 F minor ninth chord
- Notes
- F Ab C Eb G
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 b7 9
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 10 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- Fmin9, F−9
F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones), Ab to C is a major third (4 semitones), C to Eb is a minor third (3 semitones), Eb to G is a major third (4 semitones). A minor seventh (Fm7) with a major ninth on top: G, 14 semitones above F. The fifth, C, is the note players drop first.
Fm9 on the piano
Root position from F4: F4, Ab4, C5, Eb5, G5. Middle C is C4.
Fm9 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has F as its lowest note.
1 3 1 1 1 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds F2 C3 Eb3 Ab3 C4 G4
x 8 6 8 8 8 (low E to high e)
Sounds F3 Ab3 Eb4 G4 C5
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play minor ninth chords on other roots.
Inversions of Fm9
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | F Ab C Eb G | Fm9 | |
| 1st inversion | Ab C Eb G F | Fm9/Ab | |
| 2nd inversion | C Eb G F Ab | Fm9/C | |
| 3rd inversion | Eb G F Ab C | Fm9/Eb | |
| 4th inversion | G F Ab C Eb | Fm7/G (also read as Fm9/G) |
Where Fm9 fits
Fm9 is ii9 in Eb major, vi9 in Ab major, i9 in F minor. Its upper four notes Ab C Eb G are Abmaj7, the usual rootless voicing of Fm9 over a F bass.