Guitar chords · Major 9th
Cmaj9 chord on guitar
Cmaj9 (C major 9th) has five notes: C, E, G, B and D, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3, 5, 7 and 9.
Shapes
How to play Cmaj9
Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7.; the other numbers are the chord tones.
Cmaj9 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the A shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 3 or the E shape at fret 8. A A chord or scale fingering with no open strings. Slide it up or down the neck and it changes its root but not its type: a major shape stays major. keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., on the lowest played string, names the chord.
A shape · fret 3
E shape · fret 8
Notes and formula
What makes Cmaj9 major 9th
A major 9th chord adds the 9th to a major A triad with one more 3rd on top, the 7th, which makes four notes: G7, Cmaj7 and Am7 are seventh chords.. It is even softer and more open than maj7, a favourite of neo-soul, jazz and ballads. Keep the 3rd, the 7th and the 9th; drop the 5th first.
- 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
- 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
- 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.
The 3rd, the 7th and the 9th make Cmaj9 a major 9th chord; you can leave out the 5th.
- CRroot
- E3essential
- G5optional
- B7essential
- D9essential
- C, the root
- Other chord tones
Keys
Keys with Cmaj9
Cmaj9 belongs to four keys: C major (Imaj9), G major (IVmaj9), A minor (IIImaj9) and E minor (VImaj9).
Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work
Slash chords
Cmaj9 over another bass note
A A chord with a different note in the bass, written after a slash: C/E is a C chord with E as its lowest note. The letter after the slash is the bass. keeps Cmaj9 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.
- Cmaj9/E
Cmaj9 with its 3rd, E, in the bass.
- Cmaj9/G
Cmaj9 with its 5th, G, in the bass.
- Cmaj9/B
Cmaj9 with its 7th, B, in the bass.
Same root
Other chords on C
Change one or two notes and the same The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7. gives a different colour. Compare them by ear.
- C major
- Cm minor
- C7 dominant 7th
- Cmaj7 major 7th
- Cm7 minor 7th
- Csus2 suspended 2nd
- Csus4 suspended 4th
- C6 major 6th
- Cm6 minor 6th
- Cadd9 add 9
- C9 dominant 9th
- Cm9 minor 9th
- C13 dominant 13th
- Cmaj13 major 13th
- Cm11 minor 11th
- C° diminished
- Cm7♭5 half-diminished 7th
- C°7 diminished 7th
- C+ augmented
- C5 power chord
- C7sus4 dominant 7th suspended 4th
- Cm(maj7) minor major 7th
- C6/9 six-nine
- Cm(add9) minor add 9
- C7♯9 dominant 7th sharp 9th
Questions
Cmaj9, in short
- What notes are in the Cmaj9 chord?
- Cmaj9 (C major 9th) has five notes: C, E, G, B and D, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3, 5, 7 and 9.
- How do you play Cmaj9 on guitar?
- Cmaj9 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the A shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 3 or the E shape at fret 8.
- What key is Cmaj9 in?
- Cmaj9 belongs to four keys: C major (Imaj9), G major (IVmaj9), A minor (IIImaj9) and E minor (VImaj9).