E9 chord

E9 is E, G♯, B, D and F♯: 1–3–5–♭7–9 built on E. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.

On guitar

0-2-0-1-0-2 · open · easy

root position · E–G♯–B–D–F♯ · right hand 1-2-3-4-5

7-6-4-7 · movable · medium

The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.

E9 → A (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below)
Guitar: E9 (0-2-0-1-0-2) to A (x-0-2-2-2-0): your index finger lands on the D string, 2nd fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, the ring finger slides across to the B string at the same fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share E, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E9 to A: play A in 2nd inversion (E–A–C♯) and E stays under the same finger, while G♯ moves up to A and D down to C♯. A
E9 → Amaj7 (I in A major)
Guitar: E9 (0-2-0-1-0-2) to Amaj7 (x-0-2-1-2-0): your index finger stays put, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the ring finger slides across to the B string at the same fret. The two chords share E and G♯, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E9 to Amaj7: play Amaj7 in 2nd inversion (E–G♯–A–C♯) and E and G♯ stay under the same fingers, while B moves down to A and D down to C♯. Amaj7
E9 → F♯m7 (vi in A major)
Guitar: E9 (0-2-0-1-0-2) to F♯m7 (2-4-2-2-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 4th fret. Listen for E and F♯, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: E9 to F♯m7: play F♯m7 in 1st inversion (A–C♯–E–F♯) and F♯ stays under the same finger, while G♯ moves up to A, D down to C♯ and D up to E. F♯m7

Guitar with a capo: capo 4, C9 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 4, C9 shape.

E9 is a dominant ninth: E7 with the ninth on top. It has the pull of a seventh chord with a funkier, fuller color, and like E7 it leans toward A.

Start on E, count 4 half steps up to G♯, 3 half steps up to B, 3 half steps up to D then 4 half steps up to F♯.

Note	Role	Half steps
E	root	0
G♯	major third	4
B	perfect fifth	7
D	minor seventh	10
F♯	ninth	14

E9 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.

Chords that share most of their notes with E9: E7, Eadd9, G♯m7♭5, Bm6, E, Esus2.

What notes are in the E9 chord?

E, G♯, B, D and F♯. E9 is built 1–3–5–♭7–9 from E: G♯ is the major third, B is the perfect fifth, D is the minor seventh and F♯ is the ninth.

How do you play E9 on guitar?

The usual shape is 0-2-0-1-0-2 (open). All 4 guitar shapes.

How do you play E9 on piano?

Play E, G♯, B, D and F♯ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-4-5. E sits just right of the pair of black keys. Inversions and left hand.

How do you play E9 on ukulele?

7-6-4-7 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.

What key is E9 in?

E9 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.

What's the difference between E9 and E7?

E9 is E7 plus F♯.

Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.