1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.
Bmaj9 is a major ninth chord made of 5 notes: B, D♯, F♯, A♯, C♯. It sounds rich and floating, and you hear it in jazz, R&B and cinematic pop. It is the I chord of B major and turns up in 3 other keys.
The library above opens on Bmaj9 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 | major seventh | 11 |
| 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.
x2132x7686xx7444467686767x8879x(14)(13)(15)(14)xEvery full shape of Bmaj9 needs a barre or a stretch. In many songs you can also swap in Bmaj7, Bsus2, Bsus4, which share most of its notes and need no barre. If you want the real thing, the e-shape barre at fret 4 shape is the gentlest start.
Bmaj9 belongs to 4 keys: IV in F♯ major, I in B major, VI in E♭ minor, III in G♯ minor. In B major, try I–V–vi–IV: Bmaj9 – F♯ – G♯m – E.
B, D♯, F♯, A♯, C♯: the root, major third, fifth, major seventh, ninth.
E-shape barre at fret 4: 744446 (low string first), rated Medium.
Bmaj9 has C♯. Bmaj9 sounds rich and floating; Bmaj7 sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful.
It needs a barre in every shape, so it takes some practice. Start with the e-shape barre at fret 4 shape, rated Medium.