Dm9

Dm9 is D, F, A, C and E, a minor ninth. The shape this page opens on is written 100210, lowest string first.

Also written Dmin9, D-9 or D minor 9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Dm9 on the guitar, and 42 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Dm9 belongs to C major (the ii), D minor (the i), F major (the vi) and A minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 100210, 132231, x5355x, x57560, x77768, xx7968, 10-8-x-9-10-8, x-8-10-9-10-10, 10-12-10-10-10-12.

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. Dm9 has x5355x, 10-8-10-9-x-x, x-x-12-10-13-12.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Dm9 has x5355x, 10-8-10-9-x-x, 1525xx, xx2531, x-7-10-7-6-x, x-x-10-9-6-10, x-x-12-10-13-12, xx3758.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Dm9 has x5x551, 1x253x, x7x768, 10-x-10-9-6-x, 12-x-12-10-13-x, 8x375x, x-8-x-9-13-10, x-15-x-10-15-12.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Dm9 has xx2211, xx3555, x7756x, x-8-10-9-10-x, x-x-10-10-10-12, x-x-14-14-13-13, x3x251, x3325x.

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. Dm9 has 070565, 03300x, x33000, 00350x, x03500, 03006x.

Tensions. A shell of Dm9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (G) and the 13 (B).

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