F9 chord on piano
F9 is F, A, C, E♭ and G. You'll find F just left of the group of three black keys (a white key). Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.
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
How to play F9 on piano
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. Those 5 keys are F9.
- Right hand: 1 on F, 2 on A, 3 on C, 4 on E♭ and 5 on G.
- Left hand: 5 on F, 4 on A, 3 on C, 2 on E♭ and 1 on G.
- On the keyboard it's white, white, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as C9, so your hand shape carries over.
Two ways to voice F9
- root position: F–A–C–E♭–G. RH 1-2-3-4-5.
- close voicing: F–G–A–C–E♭. RH 1-2-3-4-5.
The close voicing folds the ninth down next to the root, which fits under one hand; the spread voicing sounds wider.
F9 chord changes
Songs rarely hold F9 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.
- B♭ (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): F9 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♭ on piano
- B♭maj7 (I in B♭ major): F9 to B♭maj7: play B♭maj7 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. B♭maj7 on piano
- Gm7 (vi in B♭ major): F9 to Gm7: play Gm7 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. Gm7 on piano
F9 is a dominant ninth: F7 with the ninth on top. F9 is the funk and soul version of F7, fuller on top and still pulling toward its resolution. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Practice F9 in two minutes
Roll the chord up and back down, F, A, C, E♭, G, E♭, C, A, F, before playing it as a block.
The keys of F9
F9 is a dominant ninth chord, 1–3–5–♭7–9 from F. Root position, from the bottom: how F9 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| A | white key | RH 2 · LH 4 | major third |
| C | white key | RH 3 · LH 3 | perfect fifth |
| E♭ | black key | RH 4 · LH 2 | minor seventh |
| G | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | ninth |
F9 in context
F9 on guitar and ukulele
Switching instruments? Try F9 on ukulele or F9 on guitar, or compare them on the F9 chord page.
Close to F9
Other dominant ninth chords
F9 on piano: questions
What notes are in F9 on piano?
F, A, C, E♭ and G: F (white key), A (white key), C (white key), E♭ (black key) and G (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-4-5, left hand 5-4-3-2-1.
How do you play F9 on piano?
Press F, A, C, E♭ and G together (1 black, 4 white). Right hand: 1 on F, 2 on A, 3 on C, 4 on E♭ and 5 on G.
What are the inversions of F9?
F9 is usually played in root position (F–A–C–E♭–G) or as a close voicing (F–G–A–C–E♭).
What does F9 look like on the keyboard?
white, white, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as C9, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes F, A, C, E♭ and G and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.