F#m9 F# minor ninth chord
- Notes
- F# A C# E G#
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 b7 9
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 10 14 above the root
- Also written
- Gbm9 (Gb Bbb Db Fb Ab)
- Other symbols
- F#min9, F#−9
F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones), A to C# is a major third (4 semitones), C# to E is a minor third (3 semitones), E to G# is a major third (4 semitones). A minor seventh (F#m7) with a major ninth on top: G#, 14 semitones above F#. The fifth, C#, is the note players drop first.
F#m9 on the piano
Root position from F#4: F#4, A4, C#5, E5, G#5. Middle C is C4.
F#m9 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 2 2 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#2 C#3 E3 A3 C#4 G#4
x 9 7 9 9 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#3 A3 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 minor ninth chords on other roots.
Inversions of F#m9
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#m9 | |
| 1st inversion | A C# E G# F# | F#m9/A | |
| 2nd inversion | C# E G# F# A | F#m9/C# | |
| 3rd inversion | E G# F# A C# | F#m9/E | |
| 4th inversion | G# F# A C# E | F#m7/G# (also read as F#m9/G#) |
Where F#m9 fits
F#m9 is ii9 in E major, vi9 in A major, i9 in F# minor. Its upper four notes A C# E G# are Amaj7, the usual rootless voicing of F#m9 over a F# bass.