1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.
B9 is a dominant ninth chord made of 5 notes: B, D♯, F♯, A, C♯. It sounds funky and full, a seventh chord with more colour, and you hear it in funk, soul and blues, where it often replaces a plain 7th chord. It is the V chord of E major and turns up in 2 other keys.
The library above opens on B9 with 14 shapes up and down the neck. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.
| Note | Degree | Interval from B | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 1 | root | 0 |
| D♯ | 3 | major third | 4 |
| F♯ | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| A | ♭7 | minor seventh | 10 |
| C♯ | 9 | major ninth | 14 |
Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord.
x21222x(14)(13)(14)(14)(14)7676xx744445xx98(10)9797879The fret 1 shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 13th fret (x(14)(13)(14)(14)(14)): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.
B9 belongs to 3 keys: V in E major, VII in C♯ minor, V7 in E minor. In E major, try I–V–vi–IV: E – B9 – C♯m – A.
B, D♯, F♯, A, C♯: the root, major third, fifth, minor seventh, ninth.
Fret 1: x21222 (low string first), rated Easy.
B9 has C♯. B9 sounds funky and full, a seventh chord with more colour; B7 sounds restless; it wants to move on, usually to the chord a fifth below.
No. The easiest shape is rated Easy and needs 3 fingers.