How to play Cmaj9: a major 9th built on C, with 2 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: x 3 2 4 3 3 (x = not played).
| Note | C | E | G | B | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
Cmaj9 is a major 9th with C as its root. The full theoretical spelling is C, E, G, B, D. This voicing sounds every chord tone.
Cmaj9 is a diatonic chord (built from the key's own notes) in 2 major keys and 2 minor keys. The roman numeral is the chord's place in that key; tap a key for all of its chords.
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Cmaj9 is spelled C, E, G, B, D: the root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th. The common guitar voicing sounds every one of them.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 3 2 4 3 3 (x means the string is not played). Fret the D string at the 2nd fret. Add the A, B and high E strings at the 3rd fret. Add the G string at the 4th fret. Strum from the A string down; the low E string stays silent.
Cmaj9 belongs to 4 keys: C major (the I chord), G major (the IV chord), E minor (the VI) and A minor (the III).
