Cmaj9

Cmaj9 is C, E, G, B and D, a major ninth. The shape this page opens on is written x30000, lowest string first.

Also written CM9, CΔ9, Cma9 or C major 9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 13 common shapes for Cmaj9 on the guitar, and 44 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Cmaj9 belongs to C major (the I), E minor (the ♭VI), G major (the IV) and A minor (the ♭III).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x30000, x3243x, 33243x, 055557, x55557, xx5757, 855557, 879787, 8-10-9-9-8-10, x-x-9-9-8-10, x-x-10-9-12-10, 12-10-10-12-12-10, x-15-12-12-12-12.

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. Cmaj9 has x3243x, 8797xx, x-x-10-9-12-10.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Cmaj9 has x3243x, 0304xx, 8797xx, xx0410, x5955x, xx9758, x-x-10-9-12-10, xx2537.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Cmaj9 has 0x041x, x3x430, x5x557, 8x975x, 10-x-10-9-12-x, 7x253x, x-7-x-7-12-8, x-14-x-9-13-10.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Cmaj9 has x2203x, xx2433, x5545x, xx5757, x7978x, x-x-9-9-8-10, x-x-12-12-12-12, xx0000.

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. Cmaj9 has 002433, 030002, 00050x, 330000, 03020x, x54000.

Tensions. A shell of Cmaj9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (F#) and the 13 (A).

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