F minor ninth (Fm9) chord on guitar

The F minor ninth chord (Fm9) is a minor ninth chord (a minor seventh plus a major ninth), made of five notes: F – A♭ – C – E♭ – G.

Dots show:

Easy versioneasy

Open positionmedium

Position 6medium

Position 11medium

Barre, fret 13medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the Fm9 chord sounds like

A minor ninth is a minor seventh with an added major ninth: soft and warm, typical of R&B and neo-soul.

Notes of the Fm9 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	F	root
3	A♭	minor third (3 semitones)
5	C	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	E♭	minor seventh (10 semitones)
9	G	major second (2 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Easy version

String 1 (e): fret 4, ring finger (A♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 4, middle finger (E♭4)
String 3 (G): open (G3)
String 4 (D): fret 3, index finger (F3)
String 5 (A): not played
String 6 (E): not played

Open position

String 1 (e): fret 4, little finger (A♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 4, little finger (E♭4)
String 3 (G): open (G3)
String 4 (D): fret 3, ring finger (F3)
String 5 (A): fret 3, ring finger (C3)
String 6 (E): fret 1, index finger (F2)

Position 6

String 1 (e): fret 8, little finger (C5)
String 2 (B): fret 8, little finger (G4)
String 3 (G): fret 8, little finger (E♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 6, index finger (A♭3)
String 5 (A): fret 8, ring finger (F3)
String 6 (E): not played

Tuning: E A D G B E (low to high). String 6 is the thickest, the low E. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Playing Fm9 with a capo

A capo clamps all the strings at one fret, so a familiar open shape sounds higher. You can also get a Fm9 chord with these open shapes:

Capo: fret 1
shape: Em9

Rework a whole song for a capo: chord transposer →

Which keys is it in?

The Fm9 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

F minor: i9 (tonic)
C minor: iv9 (subdominant)
A♭ major: vi9
E♭ major: ii9

Similar chords and substitutes

If Fm9 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

A♭ – relative major: two shared notes
C♯ – the major chord a major third below: two shared notes
Fm7 – a fuller, softer minor colour

Simpler versions

Fm7 – all 4 of its notes are in this chord
Fm – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
Fsus2 – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
F5 – all 2 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Fm9 chord?

F, A♭, C, E♭, G. The root is F; the intervals of the other notes from the root: minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, major second.

What is the easiest way to play Fm9 on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Easy version”, rated easy. We show 5 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck. With a capo you can also play it as a Em9 shape at fret 1.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some Fm9 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 5-note chord. The fifth (C) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

How is the Fm9 chord written?

The chord symbol is Fm9, and its full name is F minor ninth.