F#9b5

F#9b5 is F#, A#, C, E and G#, a nine flat five. The shape this page opens on is written 212112, lowest string first.

Also written F#9(b5), F#9-5 or F#9♭5. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for F#9b5 on the guitar, and 25 derived voicings in 3 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 212112, 212110, 2323x4, x34354, x98998, 14-13-14-13-13-14.

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#9b5 has 2121xx, xx4354, x9899x, 14-13-14-13-x-x, 2x231x, 2125xx, x-9-x-9-11-8, 14-x-14-15-13-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. F#9b5 has x1211x, xx6556, xx8998, x-11-10-9-11-x, x-13-14-13-13-x, xx2314, x1x110, x3x354.

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#9b5 has 030354.

Tensions. A shell of F#9b5, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are 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.