F♯9 chord
F♯9 is F♯, A♯, C♯, E and G♯: 1–3–5–♭7–9 built on F♯. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
2-4-2-3-2-4 · barre · medium
- Notes
- F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · E · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- 2-4-2-3-2-4
F♯9 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · F♯–A♯–C♯–E–G♯ · right hand 1-2-3-4-5
- Notes
- F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · E · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
F♯9 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-4-2-1 · movable · medium
- Notes
- F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · E · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- 1-4-2-1
Where F♯9 usually goes next
Three changes cover most of what F♯9 does in songs.
- F♯9 → B (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below)
Guitar: F♯9 (2-4-2-3-2-4) to B (x-2-4-4-4-2): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the D string, 4th fret, your ring finger lands on the G string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Listen for F♯, which stays put while the rest moves.
Piano: F♯9 to B: play B in 2nd inversion (F♯–B–D♯) and F♯ stays under the same finger, while A♯ moves up to B and E down to D♯. B - F♯9 → Bmaj7 (I in B major)
Guitar: F♯9 (2-4-2-3-2-4) to Bmaj7 (x-2-4-3-4-2): your middle finger stays put, the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the ring finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the pinky finger slides across to the B string at the same fret. F♯ and A♯ carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: F♯9 to Bmaj7: play Bmaj7 in 2nd inversion (F♯–A♯–B–D♯) and F♯ and A♯ stay under the same fingers, while C♯ moves down to B and E down to D♯. Bmaj7 - F♯9 → G♯m7 (vi in B major)
Guitar: F♯9 (2-4-2-3-2-4) to G♯m7 (4-6-4-4-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 6th fret. The two chords share F♯ and G♯, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: F♯9 to G♯m7: play G♯m7 in 1st inversion (B–D♯–F♯–G♯) and G♯ stays under the same finger, while A♯ moves up to B, E down to D♯ and E up to F♯. G♯m7
Guitar with a capo: capo 2, E9 shape; capo 6, C9 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 6, C9 shape.
How F♯9 is built
F♯9 is a dominant ninth: F♯7 with the ninth on top. It has the pull of a seventh chord with a funkier, fuller color, and like F♯7 it leans toward B.
Count keys (black and white) from F♯: 4 half steps up to A♯, 3 half steps up to C♯, 3 half steps up to E then 4 half steps up to G♯. You may also see it as G♭9: same keys, same frets.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| F♯ | root | 0 | |
| A♯ | major third | 4 | |
| C♯ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| E | minor seventh | 10 | |
| G♯ | ninth | 14 |
Keys and progressions with F♯9
F♯9 sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
Chords close to F♯9
- F♯9 is F♯7 plus G♯. F♯7
Chords that share most of their notes with F♯9: C♯m6, F♯7, F♯add9, B♭m7♭5, C♯m, C♯sus4.
Every F♯ chord
F♯9 chord: questions
What notes are in the F♯9 chord?
F♯, A♯, C♯, E and G♯. F♯9 is built 1–3–5–♭7–9 from F♯: A♯ is the major third, C♯ is the perfect fifth, E is the minor seventh and G♯ is the ninth.
How do you play F♯9 on guitar?
The usual shape is 2-4-2-3-2-4 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play F♯9 on piano?
Play F♯, A♯, C♯, E and G♯ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-4-5. F♯ sits on the first black key of the group of three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play F♯9 on ukulele?
1-4-2-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is F♯9 in?
F♯9 sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
What's the difference between F♯9 and F♯7?
F♯9 is F♯7 plus G♯.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes F♯, A♯, C♯, E and G♯ and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.