As the VB♭ major
- ii7Cm7
- V7♯9F7♯9
- Imaj7B♭maj7
F7♯9 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
F7♯9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F7♯9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note F. Its notes are F, A, C, E♭ and G♯.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant seventh sharp nine chords sound gritty and bluesy at once, the clash of a major third against a sharp ninth that reads to the ear like a minor third. Funk, rock and soul horn sections lean hard on this one chord.
- Notes
- F · A · C · E♭ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♯9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 15
- Note
- F
- Quality
- Dominant 7♯9
- Symbol
- F7♯9
F7♯9 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play F7♯9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F, index finger on A, middle finger on C, ring finger on E♭ and little finger on G♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ and G♯ are black keys and F, A and C are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F1
- A3
- C5
- E♭♭7
- G♯♯9
F7♯9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F7♯9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. String 5 rings open.
F · A · C · E♭ · G♯
Try F7♯9 on the virtual piano
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F7♯9 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | A | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | E♭(Eb) | |
| ♯9 | Augmented ninth | 15 | G♯(G#) |
How to use the F7♯9 chord
The F7♯9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and an augmented ninth. Start at the root F and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F, A, C, E♭ and G♯. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Dominant seventh sharp nine chords drive funk, blues-rock and fusion as the tonic of a dominant-based vamp, not only as a V chord. Whole grooves in soul and rock guitar are built around this one chord.
How F7♯9 differs from similar chords
F7♯9 holds both a major third and a raised ninth that sounds like a minor third, so it is major and minor at once. That clash separates it from F7♭9, where the ninth is lowered, and from F9, where it is natural. Guitarists often call it the Hendrix chord.
Where F7♯9 is used
A dominant chord wants to resolve. Its home is the V of a major key - and the I of a blues, where the pull never lets up.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F7♯9 chord?
- The F7♯9 chord contains F, A, C, E♭ and G♯ (F, A, C, Eb and G# in plain text).
- Is the F7♯9 chord major or minor?
- F7♯9 is a altered dominant seventh chord. Dominant seventh sharp nine chords sound gritty and bluesy at once, the clash of a major third against a sharp ninth that reads to the ear like a minor third. Funk, rock and soul horn sections lean hard on this one chord.
- How do you play F7♯9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F, A, C, E♭ and G♯ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard E♭ and G♯ are black keys and F, A and C are white.
- How do you play F7♯9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. String 5 rings open.
- What chords work well with F7♯9?
- F7♯9 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.