Cmaj9 (major ninth)

5-note major 9th on CC, D, E, G, B.

Press to hear the chord strummed low to high.

A major seventh with the ninth added — even more open and lush; a favourite for warm, resolved endings.

The notes

Pitches taken from the first fingering below — click any note to open its frequency page.

Interval formula

DegreeNoteWhat it is
1Croot
9Dninth
3Emajor third
5Gperfect fifth
7Bmajor seventh

The formula reads in semitones above the root (C): 1, 9, 3, 5, 7. A voicing may leave a tone out — often the fifth — but never adds one from outside this set.

Guitar fingerings · 4

3
open position
2243
open position
5fr11113
from fret 5
8fr12314
from fret 8

Ukulele fingerings · 4

12
open position
3fr2213
from fret 3
7fr1111
from fret 7
9fr1322
from fret 9

Read a diagram top-down: the thick bar is the nut, dots are where to press (the number is which finger), means play the open string, means don't play it. A bar across strings is a barre.

Other C chords

maj9 (major ninth) chords on every root