D ninth (D9) chord on ukulele
- Notes
- DF♯ACE
- Formula
- 135♭79
How to play D9 on ukulele
-
Shape 1 · fret 2
no 5th (A)
-
Shape 2 · fret 6
no 5th (A)
-
Shape 3 · fret 9
no 5th (A)
-
Shape 4 · fret 5
no 5th (A)
The D9 has 5 notes, and on ukulele only 4 fit at a time. The shapes on this page leave out: 5th (A). That is standard practice: the 5th goes first (it barely changes the sound) and, if a string is still missing, the root, which the bass player usually covers.
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 (D).
D9 inversions on ukulele
The same D9 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.
3rd (F♯) in the bass1st inversion · D9/F#
3rd (F♯) in the bass1st inversion · D9/F#
7th (C) in the bass3rd inversion · D9/C
7th (C) in the bass3rd inversion · D9/C
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 D9
D9 (D ninth) is built from 5 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:
- D · 1 · root
- F♯ · 3 · major third
- A · 5 · perfect fifth
- C · ♭7 · minor seventh
- E · 9 · ninth
Other D chords
Ninth: other roots
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the D9 chord on ukulele?
D9 (D 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 D9?
The notes of D9 are D, F♯, A, C, E. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, ninth.
What does D9 mean?
D9 is the chord symbol for D 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 D9 on other instruments?
Yes. D9 also has a page on guitar, on cavaquinho, with the fingerings for each instrument.