A9 Guitar Chord | Play, Hear and Master Interactively

Spelled A, C#, E, G and B, the A9 chord is A dominant ninth: an A major triad with a minor seventh (G) and a major ninth (B).

There are three voicings on this page, and every one of them rings an open string, the lowest starting at the 2nd fret. Sizing up the gaps between notes is easier once you know intervals on the fretboard. The A Mixolydian scale contains all five chord tones.

Choose a tempo, start the drum loop in the player above and cycle A9 with the chords around it.

A dominant 9th guitar chord is also written as A9, Adom9, A7(9) or A7add9.

Notes of the A 9 chord:

A C# E G B

Tones in the Dominant Ninth chord:

Formula: 1 3 5 b7 9

A 9 Chord Interactive Fretboard

Want a structured chord roadmap instead of jumping between pages?
Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.

A 9 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Barre Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the D and B strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the high E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 4 of the G string

Position 2 Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the D string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the B string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the high E string

Position 3 Barre Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the D and B strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 6 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the high E string

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C 9 | D 9 | E 9 | F 9 | G 9 | A 9 | B 9 | C#9 | D#9 | F#9 | G#9 | A#9 | Ab9 | Bb9 | Db9 | Eb9 | Gb9

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In the ebook you can also find maps show you the tones in a chord all along the fretboard. They are incredibly helpful because allow you to:

Create new voicings on the fly, across all the neck
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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in A9?

A9 is A, C#, E, G and B. It is A7 with the B, a major ninth over the root, added on top.

How is A dominant ninth different from A7?

A7 has four notes: A, C#, E and G. A9 adds B, the ninth, so the chord reaches past the octave and holds five different notes.

How many A9 voicings are there, and which use open strings?

There are 3 voicings between fret 2 and fret 7, and all 3 use open strings. Two of them are barre voicings.

Which scale matches A9?

A Mixolydian is A, B, C#, D, E, F# and G. All five chord notes are in it, and B is the ninth.

What does the 9 mean in A9?

It is B, the second degree of the A scale played an octave higher, so a major ninth over the root. It is added to the A7 notes.