D9 D dominant ninth chord
- Notes
- D F# A C E
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- Ddom9
D to F# is a major third (4 semitones), F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones), A to C is a minor third (3 semitones), C to E is a major third (4 semitones). A dominant seventh (D7) with the ninth, E, on top. Guitarists usually leave out the fifth, A; the chord still reads as D9 while the third F# and seventh C are there.
D9 on the piano
Root position from D4: D4, F#4, A4, C5, E5. Middle C is C4.
D9 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 D as its lowest note.
x 5 4 5 5 5 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 F#3 C4 E4 A4
10 12 10 11 10 12 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 A3 C4 F#4 A4 E5
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 dominant ninth chords on other roots.
Inversions of D9
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 | D F# A C E | D9 | |
| 1st inversion | F# A C E D | D9/F# | |
| 2nd inversion | A C E D F# | D9/A | |
| 3rd inversion | C E D F# A | D9/C | |
| 4th inversion | E D F# A C | D7/E (also read as D9/E) |
Where D9 fits
D9 is V9 in G major. It resolves like D7. In funk and blues it is also played as I9, IV9 and V9 of a twelve-bar blues, with no pull to resolve at all. Without the root, its upper four notes F# A C E are F#m7b5, which is why pianists who leave the root to the bass player grab that shape.