9th Chords

What’s up guys! Bryan here - today we’re going to look at 9th chords!

We could consider this an extended chord. The formula for a Major 9th chord is [1  3  5  7  9] and as we learned in a previous lesson, (**add link to Golden Rules blog**) to build a minor chord we must flatten certain notes - in this case the ‘3’ and ‘7’ [1  b3  5  b7  9].

However, when it comes to guitar, constructing chords is not always as straightforward as it is on a piano - due to certain limitations: Number of strings, number of fingers and the ergonomics of certain combinations of notes on the fretboard.

Within a 9th chord we already have 5 notes, so occasionally it’s convenient or even essential to subtract less important notes to allow us to voice the ones that give the chord its character, such as 3rd and 7ths which dramatically change the feel of a chord (Major/Minor).

Ordinarily the 5th is the first to be removed, as harmonically it is very close to the root note.

Now that the theory is taken care of, we can pick up the guitar and try some 9th chord shapes!

Let’s begin with a D Minor 9

[D  F  C  E] = [1  b3  b7 9]

It’s important to take the time to understand how to build these shapes on the fretboard, take your time and analyse not only the notes but the intervals and their relationship to each other. There is a short demonstration of my thinking behind constructing these shapes in the video above.

It’s always useful to deconstruct what you're doing to help gain a deeper understanding of what is happening, and why certain shapes and patterns on the guitar are more popular.

Next let’s look at D Major 9

[D  F#  C#  E] = [1  3  7 9]

We know that only two notes need to be altered to change this chord from Minor to Major the 3 and the 7.

As you can see it’s just a matter of raising both notes a half step:

(F - F# and C - C#) to create our D Major 9 shape!

Take time to familiarise yourself with these chord building principles, and also practise the shapes until you can quickly and comfortably switch between them.

There’s still a lot more to learn and I will be covering more concepts and techniques in future posts, so check back regularly!

Thanks!