F#m9

F#m9 is F#, A, C#, E and G#, a minor ninth. The shape this page opens on is written 202120, lowest string first.

Note by note. F# is the root, A is the minor third, C# is the fifth, E is the flat seventh and G# is the ninth.

Also written F#min9, F#-9 or F# minor 9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for F#m9 on the guitar, and 42 derived voicings in 5 families.

One note away. Change a single note of F#m9 and you have F#m69 (with one note moved), F#m7 (with one note taken away), F#m11 (with one note added), F#mMaj9 (with one note moved), F#madd9 (with one note taken away) or F#9 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of F#m9 belongs to C# minor (the iv), E major (the ii), F# minor (the i) and A major (the vi).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 202120, 242224, 576675, x9799x, x-11-11-11-10-12, x-x-11-13-10-12, 14-12-x-13-14-12, x-12-14-13-14-14.

Under the hand. 1 of the 8 shapes here sits in open position, and the first uses 2 open strings. 5 of the 8 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 14th.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. F#m9 has 2021xx, x9799x, 14-12-14-13-x-x, xx4254.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. F#m9 has 2021xx, x9799x, 14-12-14-13-x-x, x0415x, xx4254, 5969xx, xx6975, x-11-14-11-10-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. F#m9 has x0x152, 4x425x, x9x995, 5x697x, x-11-x-11-10-12, 14-x-14-13-10-x, x7x274, 12-x-7-11-9-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. F#m9 has x0212x, xx2224, xx6655, xx7999, x-11-11-9-10-x, x-12-14-13-14-x, x0x120, x4x254.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. F#m9 has 00660x, x06600, 006400.

Tensions. A shell of F#m9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (B) and the 13 (D#).

What kind of chord this is. F#m9 is a minor chord — root, minor third, fifth. minor chords on every root, and what they are for.

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.