F#7#9

F#7#9 is F#, A#, C#, E and A, a seven sharp nine. The shape this page opens on is written 2122xx, lowest string first.

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

There are 9 common shapes for F#7#9 on the guitar, and 44 derived voicings in 5 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 2122xx, x12222, 242325, 242355, xx4355, x44355, x-9-8-9-10-x, x-12-11-11-11-12, 14-13-14-14-14-14.

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#7#9 has 2122xx, xx4355, x-9-8-9-10-x, 14-13-14-14-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. F#7#9 has 2122xx, xx4355, x-9-8-9-10-x, 14-13-14-14-x-x, x1425x, 5743xx, x7737x, 6979xx.

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#7#9 has x1x252, 5x435x, x7x375, x-9-x-9-10-6, 6x797x, 12-x-8-11-10-x, x-12-x-11-11-12, 14-x-14-14-11-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. F#7#9 has x1222x, xx7656, x-x-8-9-10-9, x-13-14-14-14-x, x1x220, xx2325, x4x355, x4735x.

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#7#9 has 040355, 00032x, x00320, x0035x, 0043xx.

Tensions. A shell of F#7#9, 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.