E♭ / D♯ minor ninth
How to play E♭m9 — Minor ninth
E♭m9 (Minor ninth)E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · D♭ · F
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
E♭ / D♯ minor ninth — notes and structure
The E♭m9 chord is a minor seventh with the ninth added — smooth and jazzy.
The E♭m9 minor ninth consists of the notes E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭, F. 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.
E♭m9 stacks a minor third (G♭), a perfect fifth (B♭), a minor seventh (D♭) and a ninth (F) above the root E♭.
The finder shows 2 ways to play E♭m9 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 6th fret. None of them need a barre.
What key is E♭m9 in?
Every note of E♭m9 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.
- D♭ major — the ii chord
- F♯ major — the vi chord
- B♭ minor — the iv chord
- D♯ minor — the i chord
Chords that go with E♭m9
In D♭ major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put E♭m9 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the E♭ / D♯ minor ninth chord?
- The E♭m9 chord contains the notes E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭, F. It is a minor seventh with the ninth added — smooth and jazzy.
- How many ways can you play E♭m9 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is E♭m9 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 E♭m9 belong to?
- E♭m9 fits D♭ major (where it is the ii chord), F♯ major (where it is the vi chord), B♭ minor (where it is the iv chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.