As the tonic (I)D major
Home. The loop leaves Dmaj9 and keeps coming back to it.
Dmaj9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The Dmaj9 chord is a major ninth chord built on the root note D. Its notes are D, F♯, A, C♯ and E.
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
- D · F♯ · A · C♯ · E
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11 · 14
- Note
- D
- Quality
- Major 9
- Symbol
- Dmaj9
Dmaj9 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play Dmaj9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on D, index finger on F♯, middle finger on A, ring finger on C♯ and little finger on E. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard F♯ and C♯ are black keys and D, A and E are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- D1
- F♯3
- A5
- C♯7
- E9
Dmaj9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, Dmaj9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 2: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. String 1 rings open. Don't play string 6.
D · F♯ · A · C♯ · E
Play Dmaj9 on the online piano
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Dmaj9 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | F♯(F#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | A | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | C♯(C#) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | E |
How to use the Dmaj9 chord
The Dmaj9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a major seventh and a major ninth. Start at the root D and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: D, F♯, A, C♯ and E. 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 Dmaj9 differs from similar chords
Dmaj9 stacks a major ninth on Dmaj7, and it differs from D9 only in the seventh, a half step higher. Without that major seventh it would be Dadd9. Its upper four notes form the minor seventh chord a major third above the root, which is how pianists often voice it.
Where Dmaj9 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 Dmaj9 chord?
- The Dmaj9 chord contains D, F♯, A, C♯ and E (D, F#, A, C# and E in plain text).
- Is the Dmaj9 chord major or minor?
- Dmaj9 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 Dmaj9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on D, F♯, A, C♯ and E 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 F♯ and C♯ are black keys and D, A and E are white.
- How do you play Dmaj9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 2: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. String 1 rings open. Don't play string 6.
- What chords work well with Dmaj9?
- Dmaj9 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.