Ebm9

Ebm9 is Eb, Gb, Bb, Db and F, a minor ninth. The shape this page opens on is written 243342, lowest string first.

Also written Ebmin9, Eb-9 or Eb minor 9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for Ebm9 on the guitar, and 33 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Ebm9 belongs to C# major (the ii), Eb minor (the i), F# major (the vi) and Bb minor (the iv).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 243342, x6466x, x88879, x-x-8-10-7-9, 11-9-x-10-11-9, x-9-11-10-11-11, 11-13-11-11-11-13.

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. Ebm9 has x6466x, 11-9-11-10-x-x, x-x-13-11-14-13.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Ebm9 has x6466x, 11-9-11-10-x-x, 2636xx, xx3642, x-8-11-8-7-x, x-x-11-10-7-11, x-x-13-11-14-13, xx4869.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Ebm9 has x6x662, 2x364x, x8x879, 11-x-11-10-7-x, 13-x-13-11-14-x, 9x486x, x-9-x-10-14-11.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Ebm9 has xx3322, xx4666, x8867x, x-9-11-10-11-x, x-x-11-11-11-13, x-x-15-15-14-14, x4x362, x4436x.

Tensions. A shell of Ebm9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (Ab) 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.