E minor ninth
How to play Em9 — Minor ninth
Em9 (Minor ninth)E · G · B · D · F♯
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
E minor ninth — notes and structure
The Em9 chord is a minor seventh with the ninth added — smooth and jazzy.
The Em9 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.
Em9 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 Em9 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 7th fret. None of them need a barre.
What key is Em9 in?
Every note of Em9 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.
- G major — the vi chord
- D major — the ii chord
- E minor — the i chord
- B minor — the iv chord
Chords that go with Em9
In G major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Em9 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the E minor ninth chord?
- The Em9 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 Em9 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Em9 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 Em9 belong to?
- Em9 fits G major (where it is the vi chord), D major (where it is the ii chord), E minor (where it is the i chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.