F major ninth

Fmaj9

Also written FM9 · FΔ9

NotesF · A · C · E · G
Formula1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
F1A3C5E7G9
All its notes, from the root

The major 9th: a tonic with the 9th on top, lush but stable. Without its root it is Am7 — a minor 7th built on the 3rd — which is the quickest way to find it on the keyboard.

How pianists voice Fmaj9

Nobody plays a jazz chord in root position. These are the shapes that actually get played — the same ones Cadenza shows when you play the chord.

Shell Left hand

F1A3E7

1 · 3 · 7 — root, 3rd and 7th: the three notes that say what the chord is. Left hand, low; everything else is colour.

Rootless A From the 3rd

A3C5E7G9

3 · 5 · 7 · 9 — no root: the bass player has it. The left-hand voicing of modern jazz piano. Without F underneath, the same keys read as Am7 — the bass turns them into Fmaj9.

Rootless B From the 7th

E7G9A3C5

7 · 9 · 3 · 5 — the other half of the pair. A and B alternate through a ii–V–I so the hand barely moves.

Drop 2 Two hands

C5F1A3E7

5 · 1 · 3 · 7 — close position with the second voice from the top dropped an octave: wider, warmer, the standard for chord melody.

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