Major 9th Guitar Chord Diagrams (Maj9) - Basic Positions and Drop 2 Voicings

What Are Major 9 Chords?

Major 9 chords are made of five notes, they contain a root (1), a major third (3), a perfect fifth (5), a major seventh (7) and a ninth (9). They are is major seventh chords with a ninth added. They can also be seen as a major triad (1 - 3 - 5) with a seventh (7) and a ninth (9). They should not be confused with dominant 9 and add9 chords.

Notation Symbol

Major 9th chords can be noted M9 or maj9.

Major 9 guitar chords - Basic positions

How to Play Major 9 Chords on Guitar?

For those who don't want to experiment the twelve rootless drop 2 chords below, here are three basic major 9 chord shapes to play on the guitar.

The first diagram has its root on the sixth string and the second has its root on the fifth string.

Because guitarists don't have enough fingers to play the five notes of these kind of chords, the fifth is omitted.

It's better to omit the fifth or even the root than the seventh, the third or the ninth. Indeed, these are are the most important tones of the chord.

Drop 2 major 9th guitar chords - Diagrams and voicing charts

Here are 12 guitar diagrams to play drop 2 major ninth chords. These diagrams are based on the drop 2 major seventh chords. Building a drop 2 maj9 chord from drop maj7 chords is very easy, you just have to move the root 2 semitones (two frets) up to get the ninth.

Rootless voicings and diagrams

As you can see, root notes are those circled in red in the following diagrams. Root notes are nor played, but it is important to locate them to find more easily the chord position on the guitar neck and as well as its name.

Major 9th Root position	9	5	7	3
1st inversion	3	7	9	5
2nd inversion	5	9	3	7
3rd inversion	7	3	5	9

Rootless Drop 2 Major 9th Chords

What's The Difference Between maj9, 9 and add9?

Because the difference between a maj9 and an add9 chord is often a source of confusion, this has to be clarified here.

A maj9 chord needs a major 7th in its composition, this is just a shorter way of saying maj7add9, that's what makes it different from add9. In other words, this is a major seventh chord with a ninth.
An add9 chord is a major triad with a ninth added.
A 9 chord is a five note chord, it's a dominant seventh chord with a ninth.

9 chord	1	3	5	b7	9
Major 9 chord	1	3	5	7	9
Add9 chord	1	3	5	x	9

As you can see in the voicing shapes below, the fifth is left out.

6 Tritone Substitution Jazz Guitar Licks - Free PDF Method

This Printable PDF eBook available for free download contains 6 easy jazz guitar licks with tabs/notation, youtube video link and analysis about the tritone substitution.

25 Diminished Jazz Guitar Patterns | eBook PDF with Audio Files

This eBook PDF with audio files contains 25 dominant diminished jazz guitar patterns using the half-whole diminished scale and diminished 7th arpeggios.

25 Soul Jazz Licks For Guitar | Printable PDF Method With Tabs, Analysis And Audio files

You will find here an eBook available in PDF containing 25 soul jazz and hard bop guitar licks in the style of Grant Green, Melvin Sparks, George Benson.

40 Blues Licks For Jazz Guitar - PDF Method With Audio Files

This printable method is available as a PDF file containing 40 easy dominant jazz-blues guitar lines with tabs, standard notation, analysis, audio files and scale charts.

25 Altered Jazz Guitar Licks - eBook PDF Method With Audio Files

This PDF eBook method contains 25 altered jazz guitar licks with tabs, patterns, scale charts and audio files to master, apply and develop the altered scale.

11 Jazz Blues Chord Studies For Guitar | PDF Method With Audio Files

11 jazz blues chord studies with tabs, standard notation, analysis, and audio recordings and PDF.

Major 2-5-1 Chord Voicings - 50 Exercises For Jazz Guitar - PDF eBook Method With Audio

This printable PDF guitar method provides 50 exercises with audio files, analysis, tab and staves for learning major 2-5-1 chord voicings.

25 Pentatonic Lines for Jazz Guitar - PDF eBook Method with Tabs and Audio Files

This jazz guitar method is an eBook available as a PDF with standard notation, guitar tabs, diagrams, analysis, audio files and backing tracks. You will find in this booklet 25 easy jazz guitar lines with theory using common and rare pentatonic scales.

49 Essential Jazz Guitar Licks - PDF eBook Method With Tabs, Standard Notation & Audio Files

This printable eBook method in PDF format provides 49 jazz solo transcriptions of the greatest jazz musicians. Tab, standard notation, audio files & analysis.

40 Major Jazz Guitar Licks - PDF eBook Method With Tabs And Audio Files

Printable PDF eBook method containing 40 major jazz guitar licks with tab, standard notation and audio files for beginners and intermediates.

101 Dominant Arpeggio Exercises For Guitar Players - Tab & Standard Notation - Printable PDF eBook Method

This printable PDF method provides 101 dominant arpeggio exercises with tab, theory and standard notation for the jazz, blues and rock guitarist.

40 Minor (Dorian) Jazz Guitar Licks - PDF Method With Audio Files

This printable guitar method in PDF format contains 40 easy minor jazz guitar lines based on the Dorian mode.

40 II V I Jazz Guitar Licks - Printable PDF eBook Method With Audio Files

This pdf method for guitar contains fourteen 2 5 1 jazz guitar lines with tab, standard notation, analysis, scale charts and audio files.

Mixolydian Jazz Guitar Licks - PDF Method - 40 Exercises With Audio

PDF guitar method with tabs, audio files and theory providing 40 dominant jazz guitar lines for teachers and students.

120 Easy Jazz Licks For Guitar - BUNDLE - PDF Methods With Audio

This package contains 120 jazz guitar lines based on diatonic modes as Mixolydian, Dorian and Ionian. PDF format with tabs, audio files and analysis.

Guitar Walking Bass Lines & Chords - PDF Method - 35 Exercises With Tabs and Audio Files

This jazz guitar method about walking bass lines and chords is available as a PDF files containing 35 exercises with tabs, analysis and audio files

40 Minor II V I Jazz Guitar Licks - PDF eBook Method With Tabs & Audio

This guitar method is a printable PDF with tabs, diagrams, theory and audio files providing 40 minor 2 5 1 jazz patterns.

Minor 2 5 1 Chord Voicings For Jazz Guitar - PDF Method - 40 Exercises Audio Files

This PDF method contains 40 exercices with tabs, scores and audio files for practicing jazz guitar chords over the minor 2 5 1 progression.

30 Smooth Jazz Guitar Licks | PDF Method - Tabs, Standard Notation, Analysis, Audio Files

In this package you'll get a printable PDF Method with tabs, notation, analysis, scale shapes and audio files for practicing 30 smooth jazz guitar licks.

Triads For Guitar - 126 Shapes - Printable PDF Method

This handbook for guitar players is intended both for teachers and students. It includes 126 guitar shapes for mastering triads.

Arpeggios For Guitar - 172 Shapes With Formulas - Printable PDF Method

This printable PDF is a method dedicated to guitarists of all styles who want to learn build and play the most important types of arpeggios.

Guitar Chord Dictionary - Printable PDF Method With Diagrams and Theory

This PDF eBook provides over 550 guitar chord shapes. This is the perfect reference guide to understand how chords are built and how to play them on the guitar neck.

2 5 1 Licks and Chords - 170 Jazz Guitar Exercises - PDF and Audio

This bundle contains 4 PDF methods for a total of 170 exercises with tabs, staves, analysis & audio files for practicing scales, arpeggios licks & chords over the 2-5-1 progression.