F#add9 Piano Chord

F#add9 is the F sharp added ninth chord on piano. It has four notes: F sharp, A sharp, C sharp and G sharp, with the G sharp a ninth above the root. Every note is a black key, and the shape reaches a whole step past the octave.

F sharp at the bottom, A sharp and C sharp in the middle, G sharp on top a ninth above the root. All four notes are black keys; split with the left hand on the root.

How to play F#add9 on piano, step by step

Start on the F♯ above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
Thumb (1): F♯
Index finger (2): A♯
Middle finger (3): C♯
Little finger (5): G♯
That reach is wider than an octave, so most players split it: play F♯ with the left hand and the other notes with the right. If you keep it in one hand, leave out the fifth (C♯), the note the chord misses least.

For a one hand version, tuck the G sharp beside the root: F sharp, G sharp, A sharp, C sharp. That is the add2 arrangement, four black keys inside one octave.

If it sounds wrong

The reach to G sharp fails: F sharp up to G sharp is a ninth. Give the root to the left hand and play A sharp, C sharp and G sharp with the right; the standard split for any ninth.
Fingers slip off the black keys: All four notes are black, and black keys are narrow. Play deep in the keys, close to the fallboard, so each fingertip has the full width to stand on.
The top note is lost: The G sharp carries the colour. Lean the hand slightly toward the little finger so the ninth rings above the triad.

What makes it an F#add9

F♯ · A♯ · C♯ · G♯ 1 3 5 9

F#add9 is an F sharp major triad (F sharp, A sharp, C sharp) with a ninth added: G sharp, the second note of the F sharp scale played an octave higher. The third stays in the chord, so it stays plainly major; the G sharp adds sheen.

This is the only added ninth chord played entirely on black keys, which makes the shape easy to see and worth knowing an octave up as a right hand colour. The G sharp belongs to F sharp major and to C sharp major, so the ninth blends into both.

F#add9 vs F#sus2

Both chords add a G sharp to F sharp. F#sus2 removes the third, A sharp, to make room and sits on the fence; F#add9 keeps the A sharp and lifts the G sharp a ninth, so the chord stays major with a glow.

Play F sharp, G sharp, C sharp and then the full F#add9. The first suspends; the second resolves and shines. Four black keys either way, one very different meaning.

Questions about F#add9

Is F#add9 the same as Gbadd9?

Yes, one chord with two spellings. G flat appears in flat key songs; F sharp is the name most people search for and the one this page uses.

What notes are in F#add9 on piano?

F sharp, A sharp, C sharp and G sharp, all black keys. The first three make the plain major chord; the G sharp a ninth above the root is the added note.

What is the difference between F#add9 and F#add2?

The same four note names. Add2 keeps the G sharp inside the octave beside the root; add9 lifts it above the chord. One colour, two names.

What is the difference between F#add9 and F#9?

F#9 also carries the flat seventh, E natural, and pulls toward B the way dominant chords do. F#add9 has no seventh; it is F sharp major with more light.

Why does this page show no inversions?

The ninth lives above the octave, so lifting the bass lands it inside the chord and leaves a cluster rather than an inversion. Root position with the hands split is the way to play it.