Ninths
D major 9th chord
Rich and dreamy; the major 7th extended with a 9th.
- Notes
- DF♯AC♯E
- Formula
- 13579
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · major 7th · major 9th
How to play Dmaj9
About the D major 9th chord
Playing it
On guitar, the usual Dmaj9 shape is x57670 at the 5th fret. It has no open strings, so it’s a movable shape — slide it along the neck for other major 9th chords. Don’t strum the low E string.
On piano, Dmaj9 has two black keys (F♯ and C♯) 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 Dmaj9 shape is 2424, using four fingers. It leaves out the root, which a bass player (or your ear) fills in.
