F#7b9

F#7b9 is F#, A#, C#, E and G, a seven flat nine. The shape this page opens on is written 212020, lowest string first.

Also written F#7(b9), F#7-9 or F#7♭9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for F#7b9 on the guitar, and 45 derived voicings in 5 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 212020, xx2323, 242323, xx4353, x98989, 14-13-14-12-x-x, 14-x-14-15-14-15.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. F#7b9 has 2120xx, xx4353, x9898x, 14-13-14-12-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. F#7b9 has 2120xx, xx4353, x9898x, 14-13-14-12-x-x, x1405x, 3743xx, x7537x, 6959xx.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. F#7b9 has x1x052, 3x435x, x7x373, 6x597x, x9x986, 12-x-8-11-8-x, x-10-x-11-11-12, 14-x-14-12-11-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. F#7b9 has x1202x, xx2323, x4535x, xx5656, x7868x, xx8989, x-10-11-9-11-x, x-x-11-12-11-12.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. F#7b9 has 040353, 0x0076, 6x0070, 6700xx, 6x005x.

Tensions. A shell of F#7b9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (B#), the b13 (D) and the 13 (D#).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.