F#mmaj9: guitar chord voicings, inversions, scales and arpeggios

F#mmaj9 (m(maj9)) is an interactive GuitarArcanum page with chord formula, intervals, voicings, inversions, triads, pentatonic patterns, scales and arpeggios on the fretboard.

Chord formula

Interval formula: 1 b3 5 7 9. A minor chord with a major 7th and a 9th — beautiful and tense at once, the sound of the melodic minor.

Chord tones

The b3 gives the minor while the major 7th creates tension inside the chord, and the 9th adds depth. It's that major 7th over a minor third that gives the signature edge.

Sound character

Tense and beautiful, cinematic — the noir, James-Bond-theme sound.

Harmonic function

A minor tonic with tension, drawn from the melodic minor. Stable but uneasy.

Typical progressions

  • F#m(maj9) – F#m9 – F#m7 – F#m6 (descending line)
  • F#m(maj9) as a minor tonic
  • minor-tonic line cliché

Guitar voicing advice

Root on the 5th string, 5th dropped. Keep the major 7th and 9th on top; watch that the 7th doesn't clash with the root in a tight voicing.

Compatible scales for F#mmaj9

Other chord qualities on the F# root

Compare this chord with other qualities sharing the same root.