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Guitar Standard
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C ninth (C9) chord on guitar

Notes
CEGB♭D
Formula
135♭79

How to play C9 on guitar

  1. Shape 1 · 1st position

    no 5th (G)

    C9 chord on guitar, shape 1: first position, with open strings, notes C, E, Bb, D

  2. Shape 2 · fret 2 · barre

    C9 chord on guitar, shape 2: barre at fret 3, notes C, E, G, Bb, D

  3. Shape 3 · fret 5 · barre

    C9 chord on guitar, shape 3: barre at fret 5, notes C, E, G, Bb, D

  4. Shape 4 · fret 8 · barre

    C9 chord on guitar, shape 4: barre at fret 8, notes C, E, G, Bb, D

Some shapes leave out: 5th (G). The caption of each one says what is missing. The 5th is the first to go: it barely changes the sound of the chord.

Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. x = do not play the string, o = open string. The coloured dot is the root (C). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.

C9 inversions on guitar

The same C9 with another chord note in the bass (the lowest note that sounds). The notes stay the same, but the colour changes, and the bass line can move by step from one chord to the next. In a chord symbol, the bass comes after the slash.

  1. 3rd (E) in the bass1st inversion · C9/E

    C ninth, C9/E, 010010C9/E12EB♭DGCEmetronotuner.com

  2. 3rd (E) in the bass1st inversion · C9/E

    C ninth, C9/E, x78788C9/E71234EB♭DGCmetronotuner.com

  3. 5th (G) in the bass2nd inversion · C9/G

    C ninth, C9/G, 310010C9/G312GB♭DGCEmetronotuner.com

  4. 5th (G) in the bass2nd inversion · C9/G

    C ninth, C9/G, 332333C9/G2314GCEB♭DGmetronotuner.com

  5. 7th (B♭) in the bass3rd inversion · C9/Bb

    C ninth, C9/Bb, x10010C9/B♭12B♭DGCEmetronotuner.com

  6. 7th (B♭) in the bass3rd inversion · C9/Bb

    C ninth, C9/Bb, 655556C9/B♭52113B♭DGCEB♭metronotuner.com

Jazz voicings

About the ninth chord

A dominant chord with a ninth: the seventh plus the ninth make the chord full and groovy. It is the sound of funk, soul, samba-jazz and modern blues, and it can almost always stand in for a plain seventh chord.

Notes and intervals of C9

C9 (C ninth) is built from 5 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:

  • C · 1 · root
  • E · 3 · major third
  • G · 5 · perfect fifth
  • B♭ · ♭7 · minor seventh
  • D · 9 · ninth

Other C chords

Ninth: other roots

Frequently asked questions

How do you play the C9 chord on guitar?

C9 (C ninth) has 4 fingerings on this page, from easiest to hardest. Each diagram shows the fingers, the open strings (o) and the strings you do not play (x), and you can hear every shape.

What notes are in C9?

The notes of C9 are C, E, G, B♭, D. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, ninth.

What does C9 mean?

C9 is the chord symbol for C ninth. A dominant chord with a ninth: the seventh plus the ninth make the chord full and groovy. It is the sound of funk, soul, samba-jazz and modern blues, and it can almost always stand in for a plain seventh chord.

Can I play C9 on other instruments?

Yes. C9 also has a page on ukulele, on cavaquinho, with the fingerings for each instrument.

C9 on other instruments

All guitar chords