Add9, Major 9, Dominant 9 and Minor 9 Chords
Episode 4 of Play ANY Guitar Chord adds some spice with 9th chords. The goal is to build any chord by seeing the intervals on the fretboard, instead of memorizing a thousand shapes from a chord chart. I write everything out on the staff starting from a C triad, then play each chord so you can hear it.
What I cover:
- A review of C, Cm, Cmaj7, C7 and Cm7
- The C minor-major 7 chord
- Adding the 9th: Cmaj9, C9, Cadd9 and Cm9
- Why you can leave out the 5th
- Movable 9th chord shapes
- Sharp 9 and flat 9 chords
Chords are built by stacking 3rds: 1, 3, 5, 7 and then 9. Changing the 3rd or the 7th gives you major 7, dominant 7, minor 7 and minor-major 7 (a tense passing chord). Add the 9th and you get Cmaj9 and C9, while leaving out the 7th gives Cadd9. Lower the 3rd of C9 and it becomes Cm9.
A five-note close chord is hard to reach on guitar because the strings are tuned a 4th apart, so we drop the least important note, the 5th. The open string already rings with that 5th as an overtone, and I demonstrate it with a harmonic at the 7th fret. For Cmaj9, I play the B on the 3rd string, 4th fret and add the D on top. It’s a dreamy sound, and the shape moves up and down the neck with no barre. C9 uses the root, 3rd and flat 7th triangle from Episode 3 with the 9th on top.
Finally, you can raise or lower the 9th. The sharp 9 version of C7 is often called the Jimi Hendrix chord, and both work well as passing chords.
Free 9th Chords Chart
Download my free 9th Chords Part 1 chart (PDF). It lists the formulas for add9, 9th, minor 9, major 9 and minor add9 chords, shows example grips in E, G, D, C and A, and includes blank chord boxes so you can work out your own.
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