Amaj9

Amaj9 is A, C#, E, G# and B, a major ninth. The shape this page opens on is written x02424, lowest string first.

Also written AM9, AΔ9, Ama9 or A major 9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 14 common shapes for Amaj9 on the guitar, and 39 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Amaj9 belongs to C# minor (the ♭VI), E major (the IV), F# minor (the ♭III) and A major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x02424, x22224, xx2424, 522224, 546450, 546454, x06657, 576657, xx6657, xx7697, 977997, x-12-9-9-9-9, x-12-11-13-12-x, 12-12-11-13-12-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. Amaj9 has 5464xx, x-12-11-13-12-x, xx7697.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Amaj9 has 5464xx, x-12-11-13-12-x, x2622x, xx6425, xx7697, 9-12-9-13-x-x, x-x-9-13-10-9, x4749x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Amaj9 has x2x224, 5x642x, 7x769x, x-12-x-13-12-9, 9-x-9-13-10-x, x4x495, x-11-x-6-10-7.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Amaj9 has x2212x, xx2424, x4645x, xx6657, xx9999, x-x-11-13-12-12, x-14-14-13-14-x, x2x120.

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. Amaj9 has x02424, 546400, 006657, 00660x, xx6600.

Tensions. A shell of Amaj9, 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.