Map it slowly
Find F♯ on string 6 at fret 2. Play string 6, fret 2; string 6, fret 4; string 6, fret 5; string 5, fret 4; string 4, fret 2. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · F♯m9 · Guitar
F♯m9 arpeggio on guitar
The F♯m9 arpeggio is F♯ – A – C♯ – E – G♯ — chord tones 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9. F♯m9 is a coloured ii chord or minor tonic; its sound is smooth, modern. 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♯m9 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 2. 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♯ Minor 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♯m9 has the colour “smooth, modern”. 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♯m9: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives F♯m9 its identity?
The ninth colours the minor-seventh sound without changing its third or seventh. Let the top note sing instead of treating every voice equally.
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 2. The next note A is on string 6, fret 4. 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♯m9 on the keyboard.
Reference
F♯m9 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from F♯ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F♯ | unison (0 semitones) |
| ♭3 | A | minor 3rd (3 semitones) |
| 5 | C♯ | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| ♭7 | E | minor 7th (10 semitones) |
| 9 | G♯ | major 9th (14 semitones) |
Goes with: F♯ Dorian (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♯m9 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♯m9 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a F♯m9 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♯m9 chord used for?
F♯m9 is a coloured ii chord or minor tonic. Its character is smooth, modern.
Which scale goes with F♯m9?
F♯ Dorian (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♯m9 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root F♯ on the low E string at fret 2 and play E-string fret 2, E-string fret 4, E-string fret 5, A-string fret 4, D-string fret 2, D-string fret 4. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Minor 9th arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Minor 9th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from F♯