Am9

Am9 is A, C, E, G and B, a minor ninth. The shape this page opens on is written x22213, lowest string first.

Also written Amin9, A-9 or A minor 9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Am9 on the guitar, and 44 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Am9 belongs to C major (the vi), E minor (the iv), G major (the ii) and A minor (the i).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x22213, x02413, xx2413, 53x453, x35455, 575557, 809080, 8-10-9-9-10-8, x-12-10-12-12-x.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Am9 has 5354xx, x-12-10-12-12-x, xx7587.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Am9 has 5354xx, x-12-10-12-12-x, x2521x, xx5415, xx7587, 8-12-9-12-x-x, x-x-9-12-10-8, x3748x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Am9 has x2x213, 5x541x, 7x758x, x-12-x-12-12-8, 8-x-9-12-10-x, x-14-x-14-13-15, x3x485, x-10-x-5-10-7.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Am9 has x2201x, x3545x, xx5557, xx9988, x-x-10-12-12-12, x-14-14-12-13-x, x2x010, xx2413.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Am9 has 030453, 535400, x05557, 530000, x00503, 03000x.

Tensions. A shell of Am9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (D) and the 13 (F#).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.