Minor 9th guitar chords
A minor 9th chord is a minor 7th chord with the ninth added. The fifth is often left out on guitar to make room for it.
How minor 9th chords are built
The formula is 1–♭3–5–♭7–9: the root, the minor third, the perfect fifth, the minor seventh and the ninth, counted from the root’s major scale. In Cm9 that gives C · E♭ · G · B♭ · D.
All 12 minor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cm9 | C E♭ G B♭ D | x31333 | 1st fret | Medium |
| Dbm9 | D♭ F♭ A♭ C♭ E♭ | x42444 | 2nd fret | Medium |
| Dm9 | D F A C E | 100210 | open position | Easy |
| Ebm9 | E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭ F | x64666 | 4th fret | Medium |
| Em9 | E G B D F♯ | 020002 | open position | Easy |
| Fm9 | F A♭ C E♭ G | 131113 | barre chord, 1st fret | Medium |
| Gbm9 | G♭ A D♭ F♭ A♭ | 202120 | open position | Easy |
| Gm9 | G B♭ D F A | 300331 | open position | Easy |
| Abm9 | A♭ C♭ E♭ G♭ B♭ | 411102 | open position | Medium |
| Am9 | A C E G B | x02413 | open position | Medium |
| Bbm9 | B♭ D♭ F A♭ C | 64x564 | barre chord, 4th fret | Hard |
| Bm9 | B D F♯ A C♯ | x20222 | open position | Easy |
Minor 9th chord diagrams
- Cm9x313334 fingerings · medium
- Dm91002104 fingerings · easy
- Em90200024 fingerings · easy
- Gm93003314 fingerings · easy
- Am9x024134 fingerings · medium
Where minor 9th chords appear in a key
In a major key, a minor 9th chord fits on the vi and ii degrees of the scale. For example, Cm9 is the vi chord in Eb major and ii chord in Bb major.