As the tonic (I)C♯ major
Home. The loop leaves C♯maj9 and keeps coming back to it.
C♯maj9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C♯maj9 chord is a major ninth chord built on the root note C♯. Its notes are C♯, E♯, G♯, B♯ and D♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as D♭maj9.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major ninth chords are lush and floating. A major seventh chord with a ninth added, they are one of the sweetest sounds in jazz and neo-soul, warm enough to sit still on for a whole bar.
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · B♯ · D♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11 · 14
- Note
- C♯
- Quality
- Major 9
- Symbol
- C♯maj9
C♯maj9 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play C♯maj9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C♯, index finger on E♯, middle finger on G♯, ring finger on B♯ and little finger on D♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard C♯, G♯ and D♯ are black keys and E♯ and B♯ are white, the keys you'd normally call F and C. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♯1
- E♯3
- G♯5
- B♯7
- D♯9
C♯maj9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C♯maj9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · B♯ · D♯
Play C♯maj9 on the online piano
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C♯maj9 chord notes
Also known as D♭maj9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♯(C#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E♯(E#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G♯(G#) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | B♯(B#) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | D♯(D#) |
How to use the C♯maj9 chord
The C♯maj9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a major seventh and a major ninth. Start at the root C♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C♯, E♯, G♯, B♯ and D♯. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Major ninth chords work as the I or IV chord where a major seventh would do, adding depth without changing the function. Bossa nova, jazz, soul and R&B treat them as a default tonic sound.
How C♯maj9 differs from similar chords
C♯maj9 stacks a major ninth on C♯maj7, and it differs from C♯9 only in the seventh, a half step higher. Without that major seventh it would be C♯add9. Its upper four notes form the minor seventh chord a major third above the root, which is how pianists often voice it.
Where C♯maj9 is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C♯maj9 chord?
- The C♯maj9 chord contains C♯, E♯, G♯, B♯ and D♯ (C#, E#, G#, B# and D# in plain text).
- Is the C♯maj9 chord major or minor?
- C♯maj9 is a major ninth chord. Major ninth chords are lush and floating. A major seventh chord with a ninth added, they are one of the sweetest sounds in jazz and neo-soul, warm enough to sit still on for a whole bar.
- How do you play C♯maj9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C♯, E♯, G♯, B♯ and D♯ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard C♯, G♯ and D♯ are black keys and E♯ and B♯ are white, the keys you'd normally call F and C. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play C♯maj9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the C♯maj9 chord?
- C♯maj9 is enharmonically equivalent to D♭maj9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.