The D9 chord contains the notes D, F#, A, C and E. It is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the D Major scale. The 9th note of the scale (E) 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 D7 chord for a D9 chord. You should hear that the chord progression sounds very similar, but the inclusion of the D9 chord gives the chord progression a jazzy sound.
D9 is most commonly played with the root note on the 5th fret of the 5th string (second shape in the pic below). Because D7 is found in the key of G, and D9 is often substituted for D7, the D9 chord is a very popular chord.
10 Ways To Play The D9 Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for D9, here they are.
Some Quick D9 Chord Theory
- The D9 chord contains the notes D, F#, A, C and E.
- The D9 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the D Major scale.
- The 9th note of the D Major scale (E) is the same as the 2nd note of the scale.
- The D9 can be used as a substitute for the D7 chord.
- The D9 is essentially a D dominant 7 chord with an added 9.
- The D mixolydian mode can be used when soloing over the D9 chord.
Further Reading
