F#9 F# dominant ninth chord
- Notes
- F# A# C# E G#
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 above the root
- Also written
- Gb9 (Gb Bb Db Fb Ab)
- Other symbols
- F#dom9
F# to A# is a major third (4 semitones), A# to C# is a minor third (3 semitones), C# to E is a minor third (3 semitones), E to G# is a major third (4 semitones). A dominant seventh (F#7) with the ninth, G#, on top. Guitarists usually leave out the fifth, C#; the chord still reads as F#9 while the third A# and seventh E are there.
F#9 on the piano
Root position from F#4: F#4, A#4, C#5, E5, G#5. Middle C is C4.
F#9 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.
2 4 2 3 2 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#2 C#3 E3 A#3 C#4 G#4
x 9 8 9 9 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#3 A#3 E4 G#4 C#5
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 dominant ninth chords on other roots.
Inversions of F#9
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# A# C# E G# | F#9 | |
| 1st inversion | A# C# E G# F# | F#9/A# | |
| 2nd inversion | C# E G# F# A# | F#9/C# | |
| 3rd inversion | E G# F# A# C# | F#9/E | |
| 4th inversion | G# F# A# C# E | F#7/G# (also read as F#9/G#) |
Where F#9 fits
F#9 is V9 in B major. It resolves like F#7. In funk and blues it is also played as I9, IV9 and V9 of a twelve-bar blues, with no pull to resolve at all. Without the root, its upper four notes A# C# E G# are A#m7b5, which is why pianists who leave the root to the bass player grab that shape.