Major 9th Chords... maj9
maj7 with an added 9th- Major 9th chords are 5-note chords spanning 14 semitones - octave plus a major second or 2 semitones.
- Written as maj9 or △9 with maj9 most commonly used.
- They are called compound intervals as they span more than an octave.
- Intervals: root, major third, perfect fifth, major 7th, major 9th.
- Chord formula: 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 9
Example: Calculating a Gmaj9 chord
Major 9th Chords Table (maj9)
- Chords can be calculated from the major scale of the chord's root note, therefore Gmaj9 is calculated from the G major scale which consists of 1 sharp - F#.
- Because a 9th chord exceeds one octave, we need to add an extra note to the existing one-octave scale (9 notes in total).
The scale reads as follows: G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G - A - Formula for maj9 chords = 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 9
- Substitute notes from the scale into the formula
- Gmaj9 = G - B - D - F# - A
| (maj9) | A | B♭ | B | C | C# | D | E♭ | E | F | F# | G | A♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | A | B♭ | B | C | C# | D | E♭ | E | F | F# | G | A♭ |
| Major 3rd | C# | D | D# | E | E#(F) | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B | C |
| Perfect 5th | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | B♭ | B | C | C# | D | E♭ |
| Major 7th | G# | A | A# | B | B#(C) | C# | D | D# | E | E#(F) | F# | G |
| Major 9th | B | C | C# | D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | B♭ |
Major 9th Chords - RH / LH
Chord Chart Legend
Take Note:
Don't confuse a 9 chord with a maj9 chord. A ninth chord is built on a dominant or flattened 7th chord, whereas a major 9th chord is built on a major 7th chord.
- Formula for a 9 chord: 1 - 3 - 5 - ♭7 - 9 (dom 7th chord with an added 9th)
- Formula for a maj9 chord: 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 9 (maj 7th chord with an added 9th)
Songs to try featuring maj9 chords:
- Close To You by The Carpenters
- Girl From Ipanema by Frank Sinatra and Antônio Carlos Jobim
- Kiss me by Sixpence None the Richer
- No Frontiers by The Corrs
