1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.
C♯maj9 (also written D♭maj9) is a major ninth chord made of 5 notes: C♯, E♯, G♯, B♯, D♯. It sounds rich and floating, and you hear it in jazz, R&B and cinematic pop. It is the I chord of D♭ major and turns up in 3 other keys.
The library above opens on C♯maj9 with 13 shapes up and down the neck. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.
| Note | Degree | Interval from C♯ | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | 1 | root | 0 |
| E♯ | 3 | major third | 4 |
| G♯ | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| B♯ | 7 | major seventh | 11 |
| D♯ | 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. With the other spelling, D♭maj9 is D♭, F, A♭, C, E♭: the same sounds under different names.
x4354xx4111198(10)8xx96666898(10)8989x(10)(10)9(11)Every full shape of C♯maj9 needs a barre or a stretch. In many songs you can also swap in C♯maj7, C♯sus2, C♯sus4, which share most of its notes and need no barre. If you want the real thing, the a-shape barre at fret 1 shape is the gentlest start.
C♯maj9 belongs to 4 keys: I in D♭ major, IV in A♭ major, VI in F minor, III in B♭ minor. In D♭ major, try I–V–vi–IV: C♯maj9 – A♭ – B♭m – G♭.
C♯, E♯, G♯, B♯, D♯: the root, major third, fifth, major seventh, ninth.
A-shape barre at fret 1: x41111 (low string first), rated Medium.
C♯maj9 has D♯. C♯maj9 sounds rich and floating; C♯maj7 sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful.
It needs a barre in every shape, so it takes some practice. Start with the a-shape barre at fret 1 shape, rated Medium.