AmMaj9 guitar chord
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.
- Tap a note to hear it
- Arrows change position
- Fingers, notes or intervals
- Play the chord
About AmMaj9 — open string voicings
AmMaj9 is A, C, E, G# and B — AmMaj7 with the ninth added on top.
It sounds the same unease with more colour over it. The ninth softens the edge without resolving anything.
AmMaj9 notes and formula
| A | C | E | G# | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ♭3 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
Minor tonic — melodic minor, extended.
Also written AmM9, Am(maj9) or A-Δ9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play AmMaj9
An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. It costs no finger, so it can sound a note the closed shape has none left for: a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath.
These belong to their key rather than to a shape: they cannot be moved up the neck. D, A, G and E have many; E♭ has a handful.
AmMaj9 has 6 of them, on strings 6-5-4-3-2-1, strings 5-4-3-2-1 and strings 6-4-3-2-1, from the 3rd fret up to the 5th — every inversion the chord has: A in the bass, E in the bass and G# in the bass. The one to learn first is the E shape at the 3rd fret, which is the easiest grip here.
Start with x06504 — no barre and 2 open strings. 1 of the 8 shapes here sits in open position. 4 of the 8 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 3rd fret to the 15th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53x454 | 3rd fret | A, root position | G# | all fretted |
| x06504 | open position | A, root position | G# | 2 open strings |
| 5364xx | 3rd fret | A, root position | B | all fretted |
| 576557 | 5th fret | A, root position | B | barred |
| x09998 | 8th fret | A, root position | C | barred |
| 777998 | 7th fret | B, 9th in the bass | C | barred |
| x-12-10-13-12-x | 10th fret | A, root position | B | all fretted |
| 12-15-14-13-12-12 | 12th fret | E, 2nd inversion | E | barred |
The same notes rebuilt from scratch give 3 shell, 7 drop 2, 5 drop 3 and 14 rootless voicings, each on its own page.
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#).
How to use AmMaj9
How you get to it. The turn that lands on AmMaj9 is Bm7♭5 to E7♭9: the ii and the V of A minor, which is where a minor tonic is usually arrived at rather than simply begun on.
What to play over AmMaj9
Every note of AmMaj9 is in A harmonic minor and A melodic minor.
Chords near AmMaj9
Change one note of AmMaj9 and you have Amaj9 (the minor third becomes a major third), Am69 (the major seventh becomes a sixth), Am9 (the major seventh becomes a flat seventh), AmMaj7 (drop the ninth), AmMaj11 (add the fourth) or Amadd9 (drop the major seventh).
AmMaj9 is a minor chord — root, minor third, fifth. Minor chords on every root.
On AmMaj9’s sound and use this page follows Mark Levine, The Jazz Theory Book (Sher Music, 1995). The shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.