F#maj9 Chord on Guitar
F#maj9 = F# – A# – C# – F – G# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th, Major 9th)
F#maj9 takes the F#maj7 barre one step further, moving the high e string up two frets to add the ninth above the major seventh that chord already carries. It's the lushest, most harmonically saturated of the plain major-family chords in this whole set, stacking two consecutive color tones — the seventh and the ninth — on top of the basic triad.
The notes are F#-A#-F-G#: root, major third, major seventh, and ninth, with the fifth dropped from this compact voicing to make room. That combination — a half-step seventh below the root and a whole-step ninth above it — gives maj9 chords their dreamy, slightly floating quality, a sound strongly associated with bossa nova and jazz balladry more than with straightforward major-key resolution. As I in F# major it's a rich tonic color; it also works as a lush IVmaj9 substitute wherever a plain F#maj7 already fits comfortably in a chart that wants extra shimmer.
Fingerings
Barre (2nd fret)
How to Practice It
If F#maj7 is already solid, this is a single-string adjustment: move the high e-string finger up two frets from the root to the ninth, exactly the same physical motion used to turn F#7 into F#9. Because both the major seventh and the ninth are fairly close-voiced tensions, listen carefully for whether each one is ringing clearly rather than getting swallowed — a maj9 chord that isn't cleanly fretted tends to blur into an ambiguous cluster rather than reading as the lush, specific color it's meant to be.
Common Progressions
- F#maj9 – B – F#maj9 (a static lush-tonic vamp in F# major)
- D#m9 – G#7 – C#m7 – F#maj9 (a jazz-tinged progression resolving into a rich IVmaj9-style color)
- F#maj9 – E – A (a bossa-nova-influenced descending color sequence)
- B – F#maj9 (I – IVmaj9, softening the subdominant in B major)
FAQ
- How does F#maj9 relate to F#maj7?
- It's built by taking the F#maj7 shape and raising the high e string two frets, from the root up to the ninth, while every other string stays on the same notes as the maj7 voicing.
- What note is dropped to keep this a six-string chord?
- The fifth (C#) is omitted, since a full maj9 chord has five distinct tones and this voicing prioritizes the root, third, seventh, and ninth as the most identifying notes.
- Why does F#maj9 sound so associated with bossa nova and jazz?
- The combination of a major seventh and a ninth stacked above the triad creates a lush, unresolved-but-not-tense color that those genres lean on heavily for their characteristic floating, sophisticated harmonic texture.
- Is F#maj9 hard to play?
- Not if F#maj7 is already comfortable — it's the identical barre with one finger repositioned, so the physical demand barely increases even though the harmonic richness does.
- Can F#maj9 replace a plain F# major or F#maj7 in a chart?
- Often yes, particularly in jazz or bossa-flavored material, since it contains the full major triad's essential identity plus two consonant color tones that rarely clash with a melody or other harmony happening above it.
F#maj9 on other instruments: F#maj9 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.