How to play A9: a dominant 9th built on A, with 5 ways to play it, the notes, the keys it belongs to, and songs that use it.
The first diagram is a common voicing: played at the first few frets. An X above a string means don't play it; an O means play it open.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: 5 x 5 4 5 x (x = not played).
| Note | A | E | G | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | 5 | b7 | 9 |
A9 is a dominant 9th with A as its root. The full theoretical spelling is A, C#, E, G, B. This voicing does without the 3rd, which changes the character more noticeably.
A9 is a diatonic chord (built from the key's own notes) in 1 major key and 1 minor key. The roman numeral is the chord's place in that key; tap a key for all of its chords.
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A9 is spelled A, C#, E, G, B: the root, 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, 9th. The common guitar voicing sounds A, E, G, B, leaving out the 3rd.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: 5 x 5 4 5 x (x means the string is not played). Fret the G string at the 4th fret. Add the low E, D and B strings at the 5th fret. Strum from the low E string down, skipping the A and high E strings.
A9 belongs to 2 keys: D major (the V chord) and B minor (the VII).
