Explore Dmaj9 Guitar Chord Shapes & Sounds

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Dmaj9 stands for the D major ninth chord, built from D, F#, A, C# and E. Unlike a dominant ninth chord, the seventh here is major, so the chord stays restful instead of pulling toward a resolution.

Lydian is the other classic match: the D Lydian scale contains all five chord tones and has a raised fourth. The page lists four voicings of Dmaj9, three of them with open strings and one using a barre. Browse jazz progressions on guitar to see where a chord like this fits.

Strum the chord in front of your microphone and the player at the top shows which strings sound and which are muted.

D major 9th guitar chord is also written as Dmaj9, DM9, DΔ9 or Dma9.

D maj9 chord Notes:

D F# A C# E

How to create the Major Ninth chord:

Formula: 1 3 5 7 9

D Maj9 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the B string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 of the D string

Position 2 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the B string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the G string

Position 3 Barre Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 9 of the G and high E strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 10 of the B string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 12 of the D string

Position 4 Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 4 of the A string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 of the D string

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

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In the ebook you can also find maps show you the tones in a chord all along the fretboard. They are incredibly helpful because allow you to:

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in Dmaj9?

D, F#, A, C# and E. The F# is the major third, C# the major seventh and E the ninth.

How many voicings does Dmaj9 have on guitar?

Four voicings are available, three with open strings and one using a barre. They lie between fret 2 and fret 12.

Which scale fits D major ninth?

The D major scale: D, E, F#, G, A, B and C#. It contains all five chord tones, so melodies can stay inside it.

What is the interval from D to the ninth of Dmaj9?

The ninth is E, a major ninth over D, which equals a major second plus an octave. It is the second note of the D major scale.