Major 9th guitar chords
A major 9th chord is a major 7th chord with the ninth added. On guitar the fifth is often left out.
How major 9th chords are built
The formula is 1–3–5–7–9: the root, the major third, the perfect fifth, the major seventh and the ninth, counted from the root’s major scale. In Cmaj9 that gives C · E · G · B · D.
All 12 major 9th chords on guitar
Fingerings read from the low E string to the high E string. x = not played, 0 = open. 5 of the twelve main shapes are easy, 6 medium and 1 hard.
| Chord | Notes | Fingering | Position | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmaj9 | C E G B D | x30000 | open position | Easy |
| Dbmaj9 | D♭ F A♭ C E♭ | x41111 | 1st fret | Medium |
| Dmaj9 | D F♯ A C♯ E | x52222 | 2nd fret | Medium |
| Ebmaj9 | E♭ G B♭ D F | x63333 | 3rd fret | Medium |
| Emaj9 | E G♯ B D♯ F♯ | 021102 | open position | Easy |
| Fmaj9 | F A C E G | 102010 | open position | Easy |
| Gbmaj9 | G♭ B♭ D♭ F A♭ | 213121 | barre chord, 1st fret | Hard |
| Gmaj9 | G B D F♯ A | 300002 | open position | Easy |
| Abmaj9 | A♭ C E♭ G B♭ | x11113 | 1st fret | Medium |
| Amaj9 | A C♯ E G♯ B | x02424 | open position | Medium |
| Bbmaj9 | B♭ D F A C | 11021x | open position | Easy |
| Bmaj9 | B D♯ F♯ A♯ C♯ | 22132x | 1st fret | Medium |
Major 9th chord diagrams
- Cmaj9x300004 fingerings · easy
- Dmaj9x522223 fingerings · medium
- Fmaj91020102 fingerings · easy
- Gmaj93000023 fingerings · easy
- Amaj9x024244 fingerings · medium
Where major 9th chords appear in a key
In a major key, a major 9th chord fits on the I and IV degrees of the scale. For example, Cmaj9 is the I chord in C major and IV chord in G major.