The C#9 (C sharp 9) chord contains the notes C#, E#, G#, B and D#. It is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the C# Major scale. The 9th note of the scale (D#) is the same as the 2nd note, but we refer to it as a 9, as this implies that the chord is a dominant 7 chord (1, 3, 5, 7) with a 9 included.
The 9th chord is a very popular guitar chord in Jazz, Funk and Blues. It is in many ways, the go-to ‘funk’ chord. The 9th chord can often be substituted for a dominant 7 chord. Let’s take an example chord progression:
Try playing this chord progression. After a while, try substituting the C#7 chord for a C#9 chord. You should hear that the chord progression sounds very similar, but the inclusion of the C#9 chord gives the chord progression a jazzy sound.
The most common way to play C#9 is with the root note on the 4th fret of the 5th string (first shape in the pic below).
10 Ways To Play The C#9 Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for C#9, here they are.
Some Quick C#9 Chord Theory
- The C#9 chord contains the notes C#, E#, G#, B and D#.
- The C#9 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the C# Major scale.
- The 9th note of the C# Major scale (D#) is the same as the 2nd note of the scale.
- The C#9 can be used as a substitute for the C#7 chord.
- The C#9 is essentially a C sharp dominant 7 chord with an added 9.
- The C# mixolydian mode can be used when soloing over the C#9 chord.
Further Reading
