C minor ninth
How to play Cm9 — Minor ninth
Cm9 (Minor ninth)C · E♭ · G · B♭ · D
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
C minor ninth — notes and structure
The Cm9 chord is a minor seventh with the ninth added — smooth and jazzy.
The Cm9 minor ninth consists of the notes C, E♭, G, B♭, D. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7–9 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
Cm9 stacks a minor third (E♭), a perfect fifth (G), a minor seventh (B♭) and a ninth (D) above the root C.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Cm9 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 10th fret. They use a barre.
What key is Cm9 in?
Every note of Cm9 belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- B♭ major — the ii chord
- E♭ major — the vi chord
- G minor — the iv chord
- C minor — the i chord
Chords that go with Cm9
In B♭ major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Cm9 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the C minor ninth chord?
- The Cm9 chord contains the notes C, E♭, G, B♭, D. It is a minor seventh with the ninth added — smooth and jazzy.
- How many ways can you play Cm9 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Cm9 a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
- What key does Cm9 belong to?
- Cm9 fits B♭ major (where it is the ii chord), E♭ major (where it is the vi chord), G minor (where it is the iv chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.