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Guitar chords · Major 9th

E♭maj9 chord on guitar (Ebmaj9)

E♭maj9 (E♭ major 9th) has five notes: E♭, G, B♭, D and F, the , 3, 5, 7 and 9.

Shapes

How to play E♭maj9

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

E♭maj9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 6

    5fr××R379E♭GDF
  • E shape · fret 11

    11fr×R7359E♭DGB♭F
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes E♭maj9 major 9th

A major 9th chord adds the 9th to a major . It is even softer and more open than maj7, a favourite of neo-soul, jazz and ballads. Keep the 3rd, the 7th and the 9th; drop the 5th first.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The 3rd, the 7th and the 9th make E♭maj9 a major 9th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. E♭Rroot
  2. G3essential
  3. B♭5optional
  4. D7essential
  5. F9essential
EADGBE0135791215E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭FGB♭DFGB♭DFGB♭DFGB♭DFGB♭DFGB♭DFGB♭DFGB♭DFG
  • E♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

E♭maj9 and D♯maj9 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with E♭maj9

E♭maj9 belongs to four keys: E♭ major (Imaj9), B♭ major (IVmaj9), C minor (IIImaj9) and G minor (VImaj9).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

E♭maj9 over another bass note

A keeps E♭maj9 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • E♭maj9/G

    E♭maj9 with its 3rd, G, in the bass.

  • E♭maj9/B♭

    E♭maj9 with its 5th, B♭, in the bass.

  • E♭maj9/D

    E♭maj9 with its 7th, D, in the bass.

Questions

E♭maj9, in short

What notes are in the E♭maj9 chord?
E♭maj9 (E♭ major 9th) has five notes: E♭, G, B♭, D and F, the , 3, 5, 7 and 9.
How do you play E♭maj9 on guitar?
E♭maj9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11.
What key is E♭maj9 in?
E♭maj9 belongs to four keys: E♭ major (Imaj9), B♭ major (IVmaj9), C minor (IIImaj9) and G minor (VImaj9).
Is E♭maj9 the same as D♯maj9?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. E♭maj9 is the spelling in E♭ major, B♭ major, C minor and G minor. No key on the circle spells it D♯maj9, so you will rarely see that name.
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