Ammaj9

AmMaj9 is A, C, E, G# and B, a minor major ninth. The shape this page opens on is written 53x454, lowest string first.

Also written AmM9, Am(maj9) or A-Δ9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for AmMaj9 on the guitar, and 35 derived voicings in 5 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 53x454, x06504, 5364xx, 576557, x09998, 777998, x-12-10-13-12-x, 12-15-14-13-12-12.

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. AmMaj9 has 5364xx, xx7597, x-12-10-13-12-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. AmMaj9 has 5364xx, xx7597, x-12-10-13-12-x, x2621x, xx6415, 8-12-9-13-x-x, x-x-9-13-10-8.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. AmMaj9 has x2x214, 7x759x, 5x641x, x-12-x-13-12-8, 8-x-9-13-10-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. AmMaj9 has x2211x, xx6557, xx9998, x-14-14-13-13-x, x2x110, xx2414, x3645x, x3x454.

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. AmMaj9 has 030454, x06557, 536400, x00504, 0x0504, 4x0500.

Tensions. A shell of AmMaj9, 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.