Tools / Chords / F♯ 9th

F♯ 9th chord on guitar (F♯9)

Also written F♯9 or F♯

F♯ 9th is built from F♯, A♯, C♯, E and G♯. This advanced barre shape at the 1st fret needs a solid index barre and a muted high e string.

1st fret2-1-2-1-2-×

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

F♯1Root

A♯3Major 3rd

C♯5Perfect 5th

E♭7Minor 7th

G♯99th

Formula 1, 3, 5, ♭7, 9

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionF♯–A♯–C♯–E–G♯F♯9Bass F♯

First inversionA♯–C♯–E–G♯–F♯F♯9/A♯Bass A♯

Second inversionC♯–E–G♯–F♯–A♯F♯9/C♯Bass C♯

Third inversionE–G♯–F♯–A♯–C♯F♯9/EBass E

Fourth inversionG♯–F♯–A♯–C♯–EF♯9/G♯Bass G♯

Why it sounds like that

F♯ 9th combines an F♯ major triad (1, 3, 5) with a minor seventh and a major ninth: 1, 3, 5, ♭7, 9. The ♭7 E and 9 G♯ give it a dominant quality. Compare it with F♯ 7th, which lacks the ninth.

What goes wrong with F♯ 9th?

Letting the index barre sag so the G string buzzes at fret 1.
Allowing the high e string to ring open, which adds an unwanted E above the chord.
Placing the ring finger on the G string instead of the D string, losing the fifth.

When to use it

F♯ 9th functions as the dominant in B major, appearing in progressions like B–E–F♯–B (I–IV–V–I). It suits blues, funk and jazz-rock. Compare it with F♯ major to hear how the seventh and ninth add tension.

Changing to and from F♯ 9th

Move to G 9th by sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret.
Move to A♭ 9th by sliding the shape up two frets to the 3rd fret.

Which voicing to use

The 1st fret and 2nd fret voicings both have F♯ in the bass, but the 2nd fret version adds the ninth on top. The F♯9/A♯ inversion places the third in the bass for a smoother sound.

How do you play an F♯ 9th chord on guitar?

1st fret

Barre● On the diagram

F♯ 9th is played at the 1st fret as 2 1 2 1 2 ×: barre your index finger across fret 1, middle finger on the low E string at fret 2, ring finger on the D string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 2. The high e string stays muted.

Tip — The index barre must fret the A string and the G string cleanly while the pinky reaches fret 2 on the B string.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	2	2	F♯ (1)
5 (A)	1	1 (barre)	A♯ (3)
4 (D)	2	3	E (♭7)
3 (G)	1	1 (barre)	G♯ (9)
2 (B)	2	4	C♯ (5)
1 (e)	muted	—	—

2nd fret

Barre

F♯ 9th is played at the 2nd fret as 2 4 2 3 2 4: barre your index finger across fret 2, ring finger on the A string at fret 4, middle finger on the G string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 4.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	2	1 (barre)	F♯ (1)
5 (A)	4	3	C♯ (5)
4 (D)	2	1 (barre)	E (♭7)
3 (G)	3	2	A♯ (3)
2 (B)	2	1 (barre)	C♯ (5)
1 (e)	4	4	G♯ (9)

13th fret

Barre

F♯ 9th is played at the 13th fret as 14 13 14 13 14 ×: barre your index finger across fret 13, middle finger on the low E string at fret 14, ring finger on the D string at fret 14 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 14. The high e string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	14	2	F♯ (1)
5 (A)	13	1 (barre)	A♯ (3)
4 (D)	14	3	E (♭7)
3 (G)	13	1 (barre)	G♯ (9)
2 (B)	14	4	C♯ (5)
1 (e)	muted	—	—

F♯9/A♯ inversion · fret 1

Barre

F♯ 9th is played at the 1st fret as × 1 2 1 2 2: barre your index finger across fret 1, middle finger on the D string at fret 2, ring finger on the B string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 2. The low E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	1	1 (barre)	A♯ (3)
4 (D)	2	2	E (♭7)
3 (G)	1	1 (barre)	G♯ (9)
2 (B)	2	3	C♯ (5)
1 (e)	2	4	F♯ (1)

F♯9/A♯ inversion · fret 4

Barre

F♯ 9th is played at the 4th fret as 6 4 4 6 5 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the low E string at fret 6, pinky finger on the G string at fret 6 and middle finger on the B string at fret 5.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	6	3	A♯ (3)
5 (A)	4	1 (barre)	C♯ (5)
4 (D)	4	1 (barre)	F♯ (1)
3 (G)	6	4	C♯ (5)
2 (B)	5	2	E (♭7)
1 (e)	4	1 (barre)	G♯ (9)

Common questions

How is F♯ 9th written?

F♯ 9th is written as F♯9 or F#9. The symbol F♯9 always means a dominant ninth chord with a minor seventh and a major ninth. It is also spelled G♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

What is the difference between F♯ 9th and F♯ add 9?

F♯ 9th includes the minor seventh E, while F♯ add 9 is an F♯ major triad with the ninth G♯ added and no seventh. The add 9 sounds more consonant and less bluesy.

Why does the F♯9/A♯ inversion have a different bass note?

The F♯9/A♯ inversion places the third, A♯, in the bass instead of the root F♯. This creates a smoother stepwise bass line when moving between chords in B major.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

F♯ (1)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

A♯ (3)

4 (D)

E (♭7)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

G♯ (9)

2 (B)

C♯ (5)

1 (e)

muted

—

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

F♯ (1)

5 (A)

C♯ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

E (♭7)

3 (G)

A♯ (3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

C♯ (5)

1 (e)

G♯ (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

F♯ (1)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

A♯ (3)

4 (D)

E (♭7)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

G♯ (9)

2 (B)

C♯ (5)

1 (e)

muted

—

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

1 (barre)

A♯ (3)

4 (D)

E (♭7)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

G♯ (9)

2 (B)

C♯ (5)

1 (e)

F♯ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

A♯ (3)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

C♯ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

F♯ (1)

3 (G)

C♯ (5)

2 (B)

E (♭7)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

G♯ (9)