Emaj9

Emaj9 is E, G#, B, D# and F#, a major ninth. The shape this page opens on is written 021102, lowest string first.

Also written EM9, EΔ9, Ema9 or E major 9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 12 common shapes for Emaj9 on the guitar, and 38 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Emaj9 belongs to C# minor (the ♭III), E major (the I), Ab minor (the ♭VI) and B major (the IV).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 021102, xx2142, 422442, x74444, x7687x, 77687x, x-9-9-9-9-11, x-x-9-11-9-11, 12-9-9-9-9-11, 12-11-13-11-12-11, 12-14-13-13-12-14, x-x-13-13-12-14.

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. Emaj9 has x7687x, 12-11-13-11-x-x, xx2142, 0-6-6-11-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Emaj9 has x7687x, 12-11-13-11-x-x, xx2142, 4748xx, xx4854, x-9-13-9-9-x, x-x-13-11-9-12, 2621xx.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Emaj9 has 2x214x, x7x874, 4x485x, x-9-x-9-9-11, 12-x-13-11-9-x, x6x152, 11-x-6-9-7-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Emaj9 has xx1102, xx4444, xx6877, x9989x, x-x-9-11-9-11, x-11-13-11-12-x, x-x-13-13-12-14, x2x142.

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. Emaj9 has 0x4444, 06647x, x66470.

Tensions. A shell of Emaj9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (A#) and the 13 (C#).

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