F9 Chord on Guitar

1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.

F9 is a dominant ninth chord made of 5 notes: F, A, C, E♭, G. It sounds funky and full, a seventh chord with more colour, and you hear it in funk, soul and blues, where it often replaces a plain 7th chord. It is the V chord of B♭ major and turns up in 2 other keys.

The library above opens on F9 with 14 shapes up and down the neck. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.

Notes in F9

NoteDegreeInterval from FSemitones
F1root0
A3major third4
C5perfect fifth7
E♭♭7minor seventh10
G9major ninth14

Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord.

How to play F9

123
Open positionBeginner10101x
7fr21333
Fret 7Easyx87888
3fr123
Fret 3Beginnerxx3045
1342
Open positionMedium103041
1243
Open positionMedium101x43
13fr123
Fret 13Beginner(13)0(13)0(13)x

Open position (root on the 6th string), step by step

  1. 1st finger (index): 6th string, 1st fret (F, the root).
  2. 2nd finger (middle): 4th string, 1st fret (E♭, the minor seventh).
  3. 3rd finger (ring): 2nd string, 1st fret (C, the fifth).
  4. Let the 5th string, 3rd string ring open (A, G).
  5. Strum from the 6th string, and keep the 1st string quiet (touch the muted string lightly with the finger next to it).

Tips

The open position shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 7th fret (x87888): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.

Keys and progressions with F9

F9 belongs to 3 keys: V in B♭ major, VII in G minor, V7 in B♭ minor. In B♭ major, try I–V–vi–IV: B♭ – F9 – Gm – E♭.

Common questions

What notes are in F9?

F, A, C, E♭, G: the root, major third, fifth, minor seventh, ninth.

What is the easiest way to play F9?

Open position: 10101x (low string first), rated Beginner.

What is the difference between F9 and F7?

F9 has G. F9 sounds funky and full, a seventh chord with more colour; F7 sounds restless; it wants to move on, usually to the chord a fifth below.

Is F9 a hard chord?

No. The easiest shape is rated Beginner and needs 3 fingers.

Learn chords with a teacher
Live one-to-one guitar classes online, with a free trial.
Find a teacher

More F chords

More dominant ninth chords

Chord tools

All 1,008 chords · All free tools