B9 chord on guitar

B9 is B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯. The usual shape is 7-9-7-8-7-9, a barre at the 7th fret. Tap Play, then slow it down.

7-9-7-8-7-9 · barre · medium

Notes: B · D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
First shape: 7-9-7-8-7-9

How to play B9 on guitar

Shape 1, 7-9-7-8-7-9, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 7th fret:

Lay your index finger flat across the 5 strings from the low E string to the B string at the 7th fret.
Middle finger: G string, 8th fret (D♯).
Ring finger: A string, 9th fret (F♯).
Pinky: high E string, 9th fret (C♯).

Barres get easier further up the neck because the strings sit lower. At the 7th fret you need less pressure than you think.
This shape uses your pinky. It feels weak at first; press with the tip and let the finger stay curved.

Other ways to play B9

x-2-1-2-2-x: movable shape, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.
7-4-4-4-4-5: partial barre shape at the 4th fret, medium. Same notes, stacked differently, so it sounds a little different.
x-14-11-14-12-11: partial barre shape at the 11th fret, medium. Up the neck the chord gets thinner and brighter, a good contrast to the open version.

Playing B9 with a capo

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 7th fret and play the open E9 shape (0-2-0-1-0-2). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

Changing from B9 to the chords around it

These are the changes you'll meet most often with B9, using the first shape of each chord.

E (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): B9 (7-9-7-8-7-9) to E (0-2-2-1-0-0): the index finger goes to the G string, 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the D string, 2nd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. B carries over from one chord to the other. E on guitar
Emaj7 (I in E major): B9 (7-9-7-8-7-9) to Emaj7 (0-2-1-1-0-0): your index finger lands on the D string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 1st fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Listen for B and D♯, which stay put while the rest moves. Emaj7 on guitar
C♯m7 (vi in E major): B9 (7-9-7-8-7-9) to C♯m7 (x-4-2-1-0-0): the index finger goes to the G string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 4th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for B and C♯, which stay put while the rest moves. C♯m7 on guitar

B9 is a dominant ninth: B7 with the ninth on top. B9 is the funk and soul version of B7, fuller on top and still pulling toward its resolution. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Getting B9 under your fingers

Arpeggiate 7-9-7-8-7-9 from the lowest string: B, F♯, A, D♯, F♯, C♯. Then strum it and listen for the same 6 notes together. Then switch to x-2-1-2-2-x and back four times without looking at your hand.

Keys and progressions with B9

B9 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: B9 on piano and B9 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Related B chords on guitar

Other dominant ninth chords

B9 on guitar: questions

What notes are in B9 on guitar?

B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯. In the 7-9-7-8-7-9 shape the strings play B (low E string), F♯ (A string), A (D string), D♯ (G string), F♯ (B string) and C♯ (high E string), so F♯ is doubled.

What's the easiest way to play B9 on guitar?

In standard tuning B9 can't use open strings. Begin with x-2-1-2-2-x. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo can make it easier in some songs.

Is B9 a barre chord on guitar?

In its standard form, yes. 7-9-7-8-7-9 has your index finger across the 7th fret. If that's hard, try x-2-1-2-2-x.

Which string does B9 start on?

In the 7-9-7-8-7-9 shape the lowest string you play is the low E string at the 7th fret, which is B, the root.

Every shape above plays only B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.