Ninths
A major 9th chord
Rich and dreamy; the major 7th extended with a 9th.
- Notes
- AC♯EG♯B
- Formula
- 13579
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · major 7th · major 9th
How to play Amaj9
About the A major 9th chord
Playing it
On guitar, Amaj9 has an open-position shape, x02424, using four fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the low E string.
On piano, Amaj9 has two black keys (C♯ and G♯) and three white keys. In root position it spans more than an octave, so many pianists play the root with the left hand and the rest with the right.
On ukulele the usual Amaj9 shape is 1102, using three fingers. It leaves out the root, which a bass player (or your ear) fills in.
