About the C9 chord
The dominant ninth extends a seventh chord with the ninth. It is the sound of funk and soul rhythm guitar, and a richer substitute for any dominant seventh. The symbol for it is C9.
How to play C9
- Put your index finger on the D string at fret 2.
- Put your middle finger on the A string at fret 3.
- Put your ring finger on the G string at fret 3.
- Put your little finger on the B string at fret 3 and the high E string at fret 3.
- Strum and don't play the low E string.
1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little
Chords in the key of C major
These are the chords built on each note of the C major scale, so they all sound good together with C9. The Roman numeral under each one is its position in the key.
Other C chords
C9 chord questions
What notes are in a C9 chord?
C9 is made of C, E, G, B♭ and D. In intervals that is 1, 3, 5, ♭7, 9 above the root, C.
What is the easiest way to play C9?
The first shape above is the most common one: x 3 2 3 3 3 from the low E string to the high E, where x means don't play that string and 0 means play it open. Start there, and try the other shapes once it feels comfortable.
Is C9 a barre chord?
The main shape above is an open chord with no barre. Some of the other shapes further up the neck do use a barre, which lets you move the same shape to any key.