G9 G dominant ninth chord
- Notes
- G B D F A
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- Gdom9
G to B is a major third (4 semitones), B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F is a minor third (3 semitones), F to A is a major third (4 semitones). A dominant seventh (G7) with the ninth, A, on top. Guitarists usually leave out the fifth, D; the chord still reads as G9 while the third B and seventh F are there.
G9 on the piano
Root position from G4: G4, B4, D5, F5, A5. Middle C is C4.
G9 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 G as its lowest note.
3 5 3 4 3 5 (low E to high e)
Sounds G2 D3 F3 B3 D4 A4
x 10 9 10 10 10 (low E to high e)
Sounds G3 B3 F4 A4 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 dominant ninth chords on other roots.
Inversions of G9
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 | G B D F A | G9 | |
| 1st inversion | B D F A G | G9/B | |
| 2nd inversion | D F A G B | G9/D | |
| 3rd inversion | F A G B D | G9/F | |
| 4th inversion | A G B D F | G7/A (also read as G9/A) |
Where G9 fits
G9 is V9 in C major. It resolves like G7. 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 B D F A are Bm7b5, which is why pianists who leave the root to the bass player grab that shape.