1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.
C9 is a dominant ninth chord made of 5 notes: C, E, G, B♭, D. 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 F major and turns up in 2 other keys.
The library above opens on C9 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 C | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | root | 0 |
| E | 3 | major third | 4 |
| G | 5 | perfect fifth | 7 |
| B♭ | ♭7 | minor seventh | 10 |
| 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.
x30310x30330x(15)(14)(15)(15)(15)x300568787xx855556The fret 14 shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 7th fret (8787xx): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.
C9 belongs to 3 keys: V in F major, VII in D minor, V7 in F minor. In F major, try I–V–vi–IV: F – C9 – Dm – B♭.
C, E, G, B♭, D: the root, major third, fifth, minor seventh, ninth.
Fret 14: x(15)(14)(15)(15)(15) (low string first), rated Easy.
C9 has D. C9 sounds funky and full, a seventh chord with more colour; C7 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.