The F#9 (F sharp 9) chord contains the notes F#, A#, C#, E and G#. It is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the F# Major scale. The 9th note of the scale (G#) is the same as the 2nd note, but we refer to it as a 9, as this implies that the chord is a dominant 7 chord (1, 3, 5, 7) with a 9 included.
The 9th chord is a very popular guitar chord in Jazz, Funk and Blues. It is in many ways, the go-to ‘funk’ chord. The 9th chord can often be substituted for a dominant 7 chord. Let’s take an example chord progression:
Try playing this chord progression. After a while, try substituting the F#7 chord for a F#9 chord. You should hear that the chord progression sounds very similar, but the inclusion of the F#9 chord gives the chord progression a jazzy sound.
The most common way to play F#9 is with the root note on the 9th fret of the 5th string (first shape in the pic below).
10 Ways To Play The F#9 Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for F#9, here they are.
Some Quick F#9 Chord Theory
- The F#9 chord contains the notes F#, A#, C#, E and G#.
- The F#9 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the F# Major scale.
- The 9th note of the F# Major scale (G#) is the same as the 2nd note of the scale.
- The F#9 can be used as a substitute for the F#7 chord.
- The F#9 is essentially a F sharp dominant 7 chord with an added 9.
- The F# mixolydian mode can be used when soloing over the F#9 chord.
Further Reading
