C♯9 chord on piano
C♯9 is C♯, E♯, G♯, B and D♯. C♯ sits on the black key between C and D. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.
root position · C♯–E♯–G♯–B–D♯ · right hand 1-2-3-4-5
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · B · D♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
How to play C♯9 on piano
Start on C♯, count 4 half steps up to E♯, 3 half steps up to G♯, 3 half steps up to B then 4 half steps up to D♯. Press the 5 keys together and that's C♯9.
- Right hand: 1 on C♯, 2 on E♯, 3 on G♯, 4 on B and 5 on D♯.
- Left hand: 5 on C♯, 4 on E♯, 3 on G♯, 2 on B and 1 on D♯.
- On the keyboard it's black, white, black, white and black keys.
Two ways to voice C♯9
- root position: C♯–E♯–G♯–B–D♯. RH 1-2-3-4-5.
- close voicing: C♯–D♯–E♯–G♯–B. RH 1-2-3-4-5.
The close voicing folds the ninth down next to the root, which fits under one hand; the spread voicing sounds wider.
C♯9 chord changes
The chords C♯9 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.
- F♯ (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): C♯9 to F♯: play F♯ in 2nd inversion (C♯–F♯–A♯) and C♯ stays under the same finger, while E♯ moves up to F♯ and B down to A♯. F♯ on piano
- F♯maj7 (I in F♯ major): C♯9 to F♯maj7: play F♯maj7 in 2nd inversion (C♯–E♯–F♯–A♯) and C♯ and E♯ stay under the same fingers, while G♯ moves down to F♯ and B down to A♯. F♯maj7 on piano
- E♭m7 (vi in F♯ major): C♯9 to E♭m7: play E♭m7 in 1st inversion (G♭–B♭–D♭–E♭) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while E♯ moves up to G♭, B down to B♭ and B up to D♭. E♭m7 on piano
C♯9 is a dominant ninth: C♯7 with the ninth on top. C♯9 is the funk and soul version of C♯7, fuller on top and still pulling toward its resolution. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
A short C♯9 drill
Play C♯9 broken, one key at a time: C♯, E♯, G♯, B, D♯, B, G♯, E♯, C♯. Then press the keys together and check that all 5 sound at the same volume.
The keys of C♯9
C♯9 is a dominant ninth chord, 1–3–5–♭7–9 from C♯. Root position, from the bottom: how C♯9 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| E♯ | white key | RH 2 · LH 4 | major third |
| G♯ | black key | RH 3 · LH 3 | perfect fifth |
| B | white key | RH 4 · LH 2 | minor seventh |
| D♯ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | ninth |
You may also see it as D♭9; nothing changes on the piano.
Keys and progressions with C♯9
C♯9 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: C♯9 on guitar and C♯9 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Close to C♯9
Other dominant ninth chords
C♯9 on piano: questions
What notes are in C♯9 on piano?
C♯, E♯, G♯, B and D♯: C♯ (black key), E♯ (white key), G♯ (black key), B (white key) and D♯ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-4-5, left hand 5-4-3-2-1.
How do you play C♯9 on piano?
Press C♯, E♯, G♯, B and D♯ together (3 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on C♯, 2 on E♯, 3 on G♯, 4 on B and 5 on D♯.
What are the inversions of C♯9?
C♯9 is usually played in root position (C♯–E♯–G♯–B–D♯) or as a close voicing (C♯–D♯–E♯–G♯–B).
What does C♯9 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, black, white and black keys.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside C♯9. Updated September 2026.