Ninths
C dominant 9th chord
A dominant 7th with an added 9th — funky and full.
- Notes
- CEGB♭D
- Formula
- 135♭79
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th · major 9th
How to play C9
About the C dominant 9th chord
Playing it
On guitar, C9 has an open-position shape, x30310, using three fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the low E string.
On piano, C9 has one black key (B♭) and four 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 C9 shape is 0201, using two fingers. It leaves out the root, which a bass player (or your ear) fills in.
