F#m9 piano chord — the keys, the inversions, the theory

F#m9 is a minor ninth chord built from F#, A, C#, E, G#. Below: the keys to press, every inversion with its own diagram, the intervals it is made of, the keys whose scale contains it, and a progression that actually uses it. Press any diagram to hear it.

F#m9

F# · A · C# · E · G#

Piano keyboardC4C5

Semitones above the root: 0 – 3 – 7 – 10 – 14

The third is minor — one semitone lower than in a major chord — which is where the darker colour comes from.

Inversions of F#m9

  • Root position

    F# · A · C# · E · G# · bass F#

  • Inversion 1

    A · C# · E · F# · G# · bass A

  • Inversion 2

    C# · E · F# · G# · A · bass C#

  • Inversion 3

    E · F# · G# · A · C# · bass E

Same chord, different note at the bottom. Press a diagram to hear it — inversions are how you move between chords without jumping your hand across the keyboard.

Keys that contain F#m9

  • Avi
  • Eii

In A it does this job: I – V – vi – IV

  1. A
  2. E
  3. F#m9
  4. D

Questions