F♯9 chord on guitar

F♯9 is F♯, A♯, C♯, E and G♯. The usual shape is 2-4-2-3-2-4, a barre at the 2nd fret. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

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

How to play F♯9 on guitar

Shape 1, 2-4-2-3-2-4, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 2nd fret:

Barre the 2nd fret with your index finger, covering the 5 strings from the low E string to the B string.
Put your middle finger on the G string at the 3rd fret, which is A♯.
Put your ring finger on the A string at the 4th fret, which is C♯.
Put your pinky finger on the high E string at the 4th fret, which is G♯.

Check the barre one string at a time. A dead string under the index finger usually means the finger has drifted away from the fret wire.
This shape uses your pinky. It feels weak at first; press with the tip and let the finger stay curved.

Other ways to play F♯9

x-x-4-3-5-4: movable shape at the 3rd fret, medium. A small shape for quick changes and a lighter sound.
x-9-6-9-7-6: partial barre shape at the 6th fret, medium. Same notes, stacked differently, so it sounds a little different.
14-11-11-11-11-12: partial barre shape at the 11th fret, medium. Higher up the neck it sounds brighter; handy when another guitar is already playing a lower shape.

F♯9 the capo way

No barre needed if a capo is allowed: capo on the 2nd fret and play the open E9 shape (0-2-0-1-0-2) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open C9 shape (x-3-2-3-3-3). The chord sounds as F♯9 because the capo raises every string by 2 half steps.

F♯9 chord changes

Songs rarely hold F♯9 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

B (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): 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. B on guitar
Bmaj7 (I in B major): 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. Bmaj7 on guitar
G♯m7 (vi in B major): 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. G♯m7 on guitar

F♯9 is a dominant ninth: F♯7 with the ninth on top. F♯9 is the funk and soul version of F♯7, fuller on top and still pulling toward its resolution. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Practice F♯9 in two minutes

Arpeggiate 2-4-2-3-2-4 from the lowest string: F♯, C♯, E, A♯, C♯, G♯. Then strum it and listen for the same 6 notes together. Next, alternate 2-4-2-3-2-4 and x-x-4-3-5-4, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

You may also see it as G♭9; nothing changes on the guitar.

Keys and progressions with F♯9

F♯9 on piano and ukulele

F♯9 on piano and ukulele uses the same 5 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Close to F♯9

Other dominant ninth chords

F♯9 on guitar: questions

What notes are in F♯9 on guitar?

F♯, A♯, C♯, E and G♯. In the 2-4-2-3-2-4 shape the strings play F♯ (low E string), C♯ (A string), E (D string), A♯ (G string), C♯ (B string) and G♯ (high E string), so C♯ is doubled.

What's the easiest way to play F♯9 on guitar?

No open-string F♯9 exists in standard tuning; x-x-4-3-5-4 is the place to start. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo is worth trying when the song allows.

Is F♯9 a barre chord on guitar?

In its standard form, yes. 2-4-2-3-2-4 has your index finger across the 2nd fret. x-x-4-3-5-4 avoids the barre.

Which string does F♯9 start on?

In the 2-4-2-3-2-4 shape the lowest string you play is the low E string at the 2nd fret, which is F♯, the root.

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes F♯, A♯, C♯, E and G♯ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.