Package leaflet · Information for the musician · Chord
F Seventh Sharp Nine Chord (F7♯9)
Gritty, funky and aggressive. The sharp ninth rubs against the major third, combining major and minor colours in one chord.
- F7♯9
- 5 notes
- 10111x
1Composition: what it contains
F – A – C – E♭ – G♯
- Symbol
- F7♯9
- Also written
- F7♯9, F7(♯9), F7+9
- Formula
- 1 3 5 ♭7 ♯9
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | unison | 0 |
| 3 | A | major third | 4 |
| 5 | C | perfect fifth | 7 |
| ♭7 | E♭ | minor seventh | 10 |
| ♯9 | G♯ | augmented ninth | 15 |
2Appearance: diagrams and sound
On the guitar
10111xopen position
xx3244fret 2
x8789xfret 7
13-11-10-10-10-11fret 10On the ukulele
1310open position
8858fret 5
10-9-11-11fret 9On the piano
On the staff
On bass and as an arpeggio
3Indications: what it is used for
Famous in rock, funk, blues-rock and soul as a tonic dominant chord with attitude, and in jazz as an altered V7 resolving to I or i. Its sharp ninth is enharmonic to the minor third, so it suits minor-pentatonic soloing over a dominant groove. In jazz, the altered scale or half-whole diminished scale fits over it. It frequently appears in blues and funk vamps and as the V chord in minor ii–V–i progressions.
4Dosage: how to practise it
On guitar, learn the classic shape rooted on the fifth string (root, 3, ♭7, ♯9) and practise funk rhythms at 90–120 BPM, muting between hits. On piano, play the left-hand voicing 3-♭7-♯9 and the right-hand altered voicings. Practise iiø7–V7♯9–im and a twelve-bar blues with every chord as 7♯9. Arpeggiate the chord. Five to ten minutes daily. On piano, practise comping with short, accented hits. Try improvising with the blues scale over a 7♯9 vamp, then with the altered scale, to hear both colours.
5Warnings and common mistakes
The sharp ninth is not a minor third: it sits above the major third, which must also be present. Do not confuse 7♯9 with m7, which has no major third. Avoid placing the ♯9 below the third in voicings, which turns the sound into a muddy minor chord. In a major ii–V–I, the sharp ninth may clash with a melody containing the natural ninth. The symbol '7+9' is ambiguous; prefer 7♯9.
6Interactions with chords, scales and keys
Inversions
- Inversion 1 · F7♯9/A · A – C – E♭ – G♯ – F
- Inversion 2 · F7♯9/C · C – E♭ – G♯ – F – A
- Inversion 3 · F7♯9/E♭ · E♭ – G♯ – F – A – C
- Inversion 4 · F7♯9/G♯ · G♯ – F – A – C – E♭
Scales to play over F7♯9
7Other presentations available
The same chord from every note
C7♯9 C♯7♯9 D7♯9 E♭7♯9 E7♯9 F♯7♯9 G7♯9 A♭7♯9 A7♯9 B♭7♯9 B7♯9
Other chords on F
F Fm Fdim Faug Fsus2 Fsus4 F5 F6 Fm6 F7 Fmaj7 Fm7 Fm7♭5 Fdim7 Fm(maj7) F7sus4 Fadd9 Fm(add9) F6/9 F9 Fmaj9 Fm9 F11 Fm11 F13 F7♭9 F7♯5 F7♭5
Read this leaflet carefully before playing. Keep it near your instrument. Free to use, print and share for personal and educational use.