F♯add9 chord
F♯add9 is F♯, A♯, C♯ and G♯: 1–3–5–9 built on F♯. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
x-x-4-3-2-4 · movable · medium
- Notes
- F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
- First shape
- x-x-4-3-2-4
F♯add9 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · F♯–A♯–C♯–G♯ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
F♯add9 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-1-2-1 · movable · medium
- Notes
- F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
- First shape
- 1-1-2-1
Changing out of F♯add9
Three changes cover most of what F♯add9 does in songs.
- F♯add9 → B (IV in F♯ major)
Guitar: F♯add9 (x-x-4-3-2-4) 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, the ring finger slides across to the G string at the same fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share F♯, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: F♯add9 to B: play B in 2nd inversion (F♯–B–D♯) and F♯ stays under the same finger, while A♯ moves up to B and C♯ up to D♯. B - F♯add9 → C♯ (V in F♯ major)
Guitar: F♯add9 (x-x-4-3-2-4) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the D string, 6th fret, move the ring finger to the G string, 6th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Shared notes: C♯ and G♯.
Piano: F♯add9 to C♯: play C♯ in root position (C♯–E♯–G♯) and C♯ and G♯ stay under the same fingers, while A♯ moves up to E♯. C♯ - F♯add9 → E♭m (vi in F♯ major)
Guitar: F♯add9 (x-x-4-3-2-4) to E♭m (x-x-1-3-4-2): the index finger goes to the D string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the high E string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the G string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for F♯ and A♯, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: F♯add9 to E♭m: play E♭m in 1st inversion (G♭–B♭–E♭) and G♭ and B♭ stay under the same fingers, while C♯ moves up to E♭. E♭m
Guitar with a capo: capo 2, Eadd9 shape; capo 6, Cadd9 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 6, Cadd9 shape.
How F♯add9 is built
F♯add9 is F♯ major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. It keeps the bright major sound and adds a shimmer; guitarists love it because the open shapes ring.
Count keys (black and white) from F♯: 4 half steps up to A♯, 3 half steps up to C♯ then 7 half steps up to G♯. Written with flats or sharps the other way round it's G♭add9; the sound is identical.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| F♯ | root | 0 | |
| A♯ | major third | 4 | |
| C♯ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| G♯ | ninth | 14 |
Keys and progressions with F♯add9
No major or natural minor key contains F♯add9 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
Chords close to F♯add9
Chords that share most of their notes with F♯add9: F♯9, C♯sus4, F♯, F♯sus2, C♯6, C♯m6.
Every F♯ chord
F♯add9 chord: questions
What notes are in the F♯add9 chord?
F♯, A♯, C♯ and G♯. F♯add9 is built 1–3–5–9 from F♯: A♯ is the major third, C♯ is the perfect fifth and G♯ is the ninth.
How do you play F♯add9 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-x-4-3-2-4 (movable). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play F♯add9 on piano?
Play F♯, A♯, C♯ and G♯ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. F♯ sits on the first black key of the group of three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play F♯add9 on ukulele?
1-1-2-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is F♯add9 in?
No major or natural minor key contains F♯add9 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
What's the difference between F♯add9 and F♯?
F♯add9 is F♯ plus G♯.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes F♯, A♯, C♯ and G♯ and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.