×DF#CEE
Fig. 1 · D9 · hard

guitar chord

D9

D1F♯3A5C♭7E9

A dominant seventh carrying a ninth on top.

on ukuleleon pianothe scale

Every fingering that fits a hand

Fig. 2

x54550

hard · no 5

Fig. 3

x54530

hard · no 5

Fig. 4

x50552

hard · no 5

Fig. 5

xx0552

easy · no 5

Fig. 6

x54570

hard · no 5

What is true of it

D9 is D, F♯, A, C and E — 1, 3, 5, b7 and 9 counted from D.

On an instrument that cannot reach all 5, the 5 and 1 go first, in that order.

The easiest of the 5 fingerings below is x54550: 4 fingers, held at the 4th fret.

None of them uses an open string, so this chord moves up the neck unchanged — the same shape 1 fret higher is the chord a semitone above.

It leaves out the 5. 6 strings cannot carry 5 notes, and the 5 is the one this chord can lose without changing what it is.

1 string stays silent.

Where its notes are on the neck

EADGBE123456789101112935b7195b719351935b715b7193b71935935b719
Fig. 7 — first 12 frets

The brass dots are D, the root. Everything else is a chord tone with its degree printed in it.

With a different note underneath

first inversion

D9/F♯

200210

second inversion

D9/A

504530

third inversion

D9/C

x34230

An inversion is the same chord with a different note lowest. The name changes to a slash name because the bass is what a listener hears as the foundation.

D in other shapes

Dadd9added ninthDmaj9major ninthDm9minor ninthDmajorDmminorDdimdiminished

C9C♯9D♭9D♯9E♭9E9F9F♯9all 374