E9 E dominant ninth chord
- Notes
- E G# B D F#
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- Edom9
E to G# is a major third (4 semitones), G# to B is a minor third (3 semitones), B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F# is a major third (4 semitones). A dominant seventh (E7) with the ninth, F#, on top. Guitarists usually leave out the fifth, B; the chord still reads as E9 while the third G# and seventh D are there.
E9 on the piano
Root position from E4: E4, G#4, B4, D5, F#5. Middle C is C4.
E9 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 E as its lowest note.
0 2 0 1 0 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds E2 B2 D3 G#3 B3 F#4
x 7 6 7 7 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds E3 G#3 D4 F#4 B4
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 E9
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 | E G# B D F# | E9 | |
| 1st inversion | G# B D F# E | E9/G# | |
| 2nd inversion | B D F# E G# | E9/B | |
| 3rd inversion | D F# E G# B | E9/D | |
| 4th inversion | F# E G# B D | E7/F# (also read as E9/F#) |
Where E9 fits
E9 is V9 in A major. It resolves like E7. 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 G# B D F# are G#m7b5, which is why pianists who leave the root to the bass player grab that shape.