As the tonic (I)F major
Home. The loop leaves Fmaj9 and keeps coming back to it.
Fmaj9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The Fmaj9 chord is a major ninth chord built on the root note F. Its notes are F, A, C, E and G.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major ninth chords are lush and floating. A major seventh chord with a ninth added, they are one of the sweetest sounds in jazz and neo-soul, warm enough to sit still on for a whole bar.
- Notes
- F · A · C · E · G
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11 · 14
- Note
- F
- Quality
- Major 9
- Symbol
- Fmaj9
Fmaj9 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play Fmaj9 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 every note of Fmaj9 is a white key. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F1
- A3
- C5
- E7
- G9
Fmaj9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, Fmaj9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 5, 3 and 1 ring open.
F · A · C · E · G
Play Fmaj9 on the online piano
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Fmaj9 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | A | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | E | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | G |
How to use the Fmaj9 chord
The Fmaj9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a major seventh and a major 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.
Major ninth chords work as the I or IV chord where a major seventh would do, adding depth without changing the function. Bossa nova, jazz, soul and R&B treat them as a default tonic sound.
How Fmaj9 differs from similar chords
Fmaj9 stacks a major ninth on Fmaj7, and it differs from F9 only in the seventh, a half step higher. Without that major seventh it would be Fadd9. Its upper four notes form the minor seventh chord a major third above the root, which is how pianists often voice it.
Where Fmaj9 is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the Fmaj9 chord?
- The Fmaj9 chord contains F, A, C, E and G.
- Is the Fmaj9 chord major or minor?
- Fmaj9 is a major ninth chord. Major ninth chords are lush and floating. A major seventh chord with a ninth added, they are one of the sweetest sounds in jazz and neo-soul, warm enough to sit still on for a whole bar.
- How do you play Fmaj9 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 every note of Fmaj9 is a white key.
- How do you play Fmaj9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 5, 3 and 1 ring open.
- What chords work well with Fmaj9?
- Fmaj9 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.