Guitar UpscaleMinor 9th Chord (m9) on guitar
A minor 9th chord adds the ninth to a minor 7th chord, a smooth sound common in soul, funk and R&B.
| Written as | Cm9 |
|---|---|
| Formula | 1 b3 5 b7 9 |
| Notes in Cm9 | C Eb G Bb D |
| Semitones from the root | 0, 3, 7, 10, 14 |
About the Minor 9th Chord
Am9 is A, C, E, G and B.
It suits Dorian and natural minor vamps. Many funk and neo soul grooves sit on one m9 chord.
The common guitar shape drops the 5th and keeps the root, flat 3rd, flat 7th and 9th.
Intervals
- 1: Root, 0 semitones above the root
- b3: Minor 3rd, 3 semitones above the root
- 5: Perfect 5th, 7 semitones above the root
- b7: Minor 7th, 10 semitones above the root
- 9: 9th, 14 semitones above the root
Minor 9th Chord charts in all 12 keys
Each chart shows the strings from the thick low E on the left to the thin high e on the right. Numbers in the dots are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little, T thumb. × marks a muted string and ○ an open one. A bar across strings is a barre.
Cm9: C Eb G Bb D
Gm9: G Bb D F A
Dm9: D F A C E
Am9: A C E G B
Em9: E G B D F#
Bm9: B D F# A C#
F#m9: F# A C# E G#
C#m9: C# E G# B D#
G#m9: G# B D# F# A#
Ebm9: Eb Gb Bb Db F
Bbm9: Bb Db F Ab C
Fm9: F Ab C Eb G
Scales to play over Cm9
Each of these scales, started on the root of Cm9, holds every note of the chord:
- C Natural Minor scale
- C Harmonic Minor Bebop scale
- C Harmonic Minor Bebop with a Raised Fourth scale
- C Dorian Mode
- C Aeolian + Phrygian scale
- C Aeolian + Dorian scale
- C Adonai Malakh scale
- C Romanian Minor scale
- C Narayan Scale
- C Bebop Minor scale
- C Ten Tone Dominant scale
- C Ten Tone Harmonic scale
- C Ten Tone Minor scale