Dominant 9 arpeggios contain the five same notes as the chords they come from, namely dominant 9th chords.
They are spelt :
Root (1) – the root note.
Major third (3) – gives the chord its major tonality.
Perfect fifth (5) – reinforces the harmonic foundation.
Minor seventh (♭7) – gives it the dominant (tense) quality.
Ninth (9) – an extension that adds richness.
In sum, a dominant 9 arpeggio is a dominant seventh arpeggio with a ninth added.
G9 arpeggio
G
B
D
F
A
Formula
1
3
5
b7
9 (2)
Dominant 9 Arpeggio Shapes
One Octave Shapes
The four diagrams below demonstrate how to play dominant 9th arpeggios on the guitar, all within a single octave, with each diagram featuring the root note on a different string.
They also illustrate how the second (2) and the ninth (9) are essentially the same note, just named differently depending on the context.
Two Octave Shapes
The next two shapes illustrate how to play a minor 9 arpeggio in position, spanning the sixth string and extending across at least two octaves.
Whole Neck
The following two diagrams demonstrate how to play G and C dominant 9 arpeggios across the entire fretboard.
Remember, all of these shapes are movable, so you can play them anywhere along the neck.
Arpeggio Superimposition
Arpeggio superimposition is a very interesting harmonic concept that enables you to create more sophisticated sounds.
There is a lot to say about that, in this article we will only talk about the two arpeggios that makes a dominant 9 arpeggio.
As shown in the example below, a C9 arpeggio contains two arpeggios :
A dominant 7 arpeggio, G7 (G-B-D-F).
A B half-diminished arpeggio (Bm7b5) built on the major third of C (B) (B-D-F-A). This one is often called "3-9" superimposition. The idea is to build a seventh (or a triad) on the third of the chord you're playing over.
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