Ways to play B9
Lowest on the neck first. Tap a shape to put it on the fretboard above and hear it. The numbers are fingers (1 is your index), × means leave that string out, and ○ means let it ring open.
What's in B9
A dominant 9th is a dominant 7th with the 9th stacked on top: B9 is B, D♯, F♯, A, C♯. Five notes on six strings means something gets dropped, usually the 5th, and most guitar 9th shapes leave it out.
| Note | Formula | Interval from B |
|---|---|---|
| B | 1 | Root |
| D♯ | 3 | Major 3rd |
| F♯ | 5 | Perfect 5th |
| A | ♭7 | Minor 7th |
| C♯ | 9 | Major 9th |
Smooth, with some bite from the ♭7. It is the classic funk rhythm chord, and in blues it stands in for a plain dominant 7th.
Keys that use B9
Every major and minor key whose scale contains all of B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯, and the chord's Roman numeral in each.
| Key | B9 is the |
|---|---|
| E major | V9 |
| C♯ minor | VII9 |
Progressions to try
Related chords
Other chords on B: