Map it slowly
Find F on string 6 at fret 1. Play string 6, fret 1; string 6, fret 3; string 6, fret 5; string 5, fret 3; string 4, fret 2. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · F△9 · Guitar
F△9 arpeggio on guitar
The F△9 arpeggio is F – A – C – E – G — chord tones 1 3 5 7 9. F△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads; its sound is wide, luminous. Below, every F, A, C, E, G on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
F△9 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 1. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make F Major 9th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play F – A – C – E – G in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from A, wrapping back to F. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate A and E above a sustained F. These are degree 3 and 7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: F△9 has the colour “wide, luminous”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
F△9: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives F△9 its identity?
The ninth adds colour above a major-seventh foundation. Separate the upper voice from the bass and compare close and open spacing.
Here the third is A, and degree 7 is E. Play F in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try A – C – E – F as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with F on string 6, fret 1. The next note A is on string 6, fret 3. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: F · A · C · E · G. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
F△9 on the keyboard.
Reference
F△9 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from F |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | A | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | C | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 7 | E | major 7th (11 semitones) |
| 9 | G | major 9th (14 semitones) |
Goes with: F Major (Ionian) (F G A B♭ C D E). Voicings: see the four-note chord voicings in the chord library.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the F△9 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
F△9 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a F△9 arpeggio?
F – A – C – E – G. As chord tones: 1 3 5 7 9. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a F△9 chord used for?
F△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads. Its character is wide, luminous.
Which scale goes with F△9?
F Major (F G A B♭ C D E) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the F△9 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root F on the low E string at fret 1 and play E-string fret 1, E-string fret 3, E-string fret 5, A-string fret 3, D-string fret 2, D-string fret 3. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Major 9th arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Major 9th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from F