1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.
F♯maj9 (also written G♭maj9) is a major ninth chord made of 5 notes: F♯, A♯, C♯, E♯, G♯. It sounds rich and floating, and you hear it in jazz, R&B and cinematic pop. It is the I chord of F♯ major and turns up in 3 other keys.
The library above opens on F♯maj9 with 14 shapes up and down the neck. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.
| Note | Degree | Interval from F♯ | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| F♯ | 1 | root | 0 |
| A♯ | 3 | major third | 4 |
| C♯ | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| E♯ | 7 | major seventh | 11 |
| G♯ | 9 | major ninth | 14 |
Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 – 9. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord. With the other spelling, G♭maj9 is G♭, B♭, D♭, F, A♭: the same sounds under different names.
2131xx2x3324x98(10)9xx96666(14)(13)(15)(13)xx(14)(11)(11)(11)(11)(13)Every full shape of F♯maj9 needs a barre or a stretch. In many songs you can also swap in F♯maj7, F♯sus2, F♯sus4, which share most of its notes and need no barre. If you want the real thing, the fret 2 shape is the gentlest start.
F♯maj9 belongs to 4 keys: IV in D♭ major, I in F♯ major, III in E♭ minor, VI in B♭ minor. In F♯ major, try I–V–vi–IV: F♯maj9 – C♯ – D♯m – B.
F♯, A♯, C♯, E♯, G♯: the root, major third, fifth, major seventh, ninth.
Fret 2: 2x3324 (low string first), rated Medium.
F♯maj9 has G♯. F♯maj9 sounds rich and floating; F♯maj7 sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful.
It needs a stretch in every shape, so it takes some practice. Start with the fret 2 shape, rated Medium.