How to play Em9: a minor 9th built on E, 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 5th fret. 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 7 5 7 7 7 (x = not played).
| Note | E | G | B | D | F# |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | b3 | 5 | b7 | 9 |
Em9 is a minor 9th with E as its root. The full theoretical spelling is E, G, B, D, F#. This voicing sounds every chord tone.
Em9 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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Em9 is spelled E, G, B, D, F#: the root, minor 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, 9th. The common guitar voicing sounds every one of them.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 7 5 7 7 7 (x means the string is not played). Fret the D string at the 5th fret. Add the A, G, B and high E strings at the 7th fret. Strum from the A string down; the low E string stays silent.
Em9 belongs to 4 keys: D major (the ii chord), G major (the vi chord), E minor (the i) and B minor (the iv).
