D minor ninth
How to play Dm9 — Minor ninth
Dm9 (Minor ninth)D · F · A · C · E
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
D minor ninth — notes and structure
The Dm9 chord is a minor seventh with the ninth added — smooth and jazzy.
The Dm9 minor ninth consists of the notes D, F, A, C, E. 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.
Dm9 stacks a minor third (F), a perfect fifth (A), a minor seventh (C) and a ninth (E) above the root D.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Dm9 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 5th fret. None of them need a barre.
What key is Dm9 in?
Every note of Dm9 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.
- C major — the ii chord
- F major — the vi chord
- A minor — the iv chord
- D minor — the i chord
Chords that go with Dm9
In C major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Dm9 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the D minor ninth chord?
- The Dm9 chord contains the notes D, F, A, C, E. It is a minor seventh with the ninth added — smooth and jazzy.
- How many ways can you play Dm9 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Dm9 a hard chord to play?
- It is fairly beginner-friendly — there is an open-position shape and none of the voicings need a barre.
- What key does Dm9 belong to?
- Dm9 fits C major (where it is the ii chord), F major (where it is the vi chord), A minor (where it is the iv chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.