Cm9 C minor ninth chord
- Notes
- C Eb G Bb D
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 b7 9
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 10 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- Cmin9, C−9
C to Eb is a minor third (3 semitones), Eb to G is a major third (4 semitones), G to Bb is a minor third (3 semitones), Bb to D is a major third (4 semitones). A minor seventh (Cm7) with a major ninth on top: D, 14 semitones above C. The fifth, G, is the note players drop first.
Cm9 on the piano
Root position from C4: C4, Eb4, G4, Bb4, D5. Middle C is C4.
Cm9 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has C as its lowest note.
x 3 1 3 3 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 Eb3 Bb3 D4 G4
8 10 8 8 8 10 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 G3 Bb3 Eb4 G4 D5
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play minor ninth chords on other roots.
Inversions of Cm9
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | C Eb G Bb D | Cm9 | |
| 1st inversion | Eb G Bb D C | Cm9/Eb | |
| 2nd inversion | G Bb D C Eb | Cm9/G | |
| 3rd inversion | Bb D C Eb G | Cm9/Bb | |
| 4th inversion | D C Eb G Bb | Cm7/D (also read as Cm9/D) |
Where Cm9 fits
Cm9 is ii9 in Bb major, vi9 in Eb major, i9 in C minor. Its upper four notes Eb G Bb D are Ebmaj7, the usual rootless voicing of Cm9 over a C bass.