The F9 chord contains the notes F, A, C, Eb 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 F7 chord for a F9 chord. You should hear that the chord progression sounds very similar, but the inclusion of the F9 chord gives the chord progression a jazzy sound.
The most common way to play F9 is with the root note on the 8th fret of the 5th string (second shape in the pic below).
10 Ways To Play The F9 Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for F9, here they are.
Some Quick F9 Chord Theory
- The F9 chord contains the notes F, A, C, Eb and G.
- The F9 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 F9 can be used as a substitute for the F7 chord.
- The F9 is essentially a F dominant 7 chord with an added 9.
- The F mixolydian mode can be used when soloing over the F9 chord.
Further Reading
