Ways to play D9
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 D9
A dominant 9th is a dominant 7th with the 9th stacked on top: D9 is D, F♯, A, C, E. Five notes on six strings means something gets dropped, usually the 5th, and most guitar 9th shapes leave it out.
| Note | Formula | Interval from D |
|---|---|---|
| D | 1 | Root |
| F♯ | 3 | Major 3rd |
| A | 5 | Perfect 5th |
| C | ♭7 | Minor 7th |
| E | 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 D9
Every major and minor key whose scale contains all of D, F♯, A, C and E, and the chord's Roman numeral in each.
| Key | D9 is the |
|---|---|
| G major | V9 |
| E minor | VII9 |
Progressions to try
Related chords
Other chords on D: