As the tonic (I)E♭ major
Home. The loop leaves E♭maj9 and keeps coming back to it.
E♭maj9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E♭maj9 chord is a major ninth chord built on the root note E♭. Its notes are E♭, G, B♭, D and F. 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
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11 · 14
- Note
- E♭
- Quality
- Major 9
- Symbol
- E♭maj9
E♭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 E♭maj9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on E♭, index finger on G, middle finger on B♭, ring finger on D and little finger on F. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ and B♭ are black keys and G, D and F are white. 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.
- E♭1
- G3
- B♭5
- D7
- F9
E♭maj9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, E♭maj9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 3 and 6. String 3 rings open. Don't play string 6.
E♭ · G · B♭ · D · F
Try E♭maj9 on the virtual piano
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E♭maj9 chord notes
Also known as D♯maj9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | G | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | D | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | F |
How to use the E♭maj9 chord
The E♭maj9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a major seventh and a major ninth. Start at the root E♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: E♭, G, B♭, D and F. 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 E♭maj9 differs from similar chords
E♭maj9 stacks a major ninth on E♭maj7, and it differs from E♭9 only in the seventh, a half step higher. Without that major seventh it would be E♭add9. Its upper four notes form the minor seventh chord a major third above the root, which is how pianists often voice it.
Where E♭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 E♭maj9 chord?
- The E♭maj9 chord contains E♭, G, B♭, D and F (Eb, G, Bb, D and F in plain text).
- Is the E♭maj9 chord major or minor?
- E♭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 E♭maj9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on E♭, G, B♭, D and F 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 E♭ and B♭ are black keys and G, D and F are white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play E♭maj9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 3 and 6. String 3 rings open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the E♭maj9 chord?
- E♭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.