About the Cmaj9 chord
The major ninth adds the ninth to a major seventh chord. It is one of the prettiest chords on the guitar, with a floating, open quality. The symbol for it is Cmaj9.
How to play Cmaj9
- Put your index finger on the A string at fret 3.
- Strum and let the D and G and B and high E strings ring open, and don't play the low E string.
1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little
Chords in the key of C major
These are the chords built on each note of the C major scale, so they all sound good together with Cmaj9. The Roman numeral under each one is its position in the key.
Other C chords
Cmaj9 chord questions
What notes are in a Cmaj9 chord?
Cmaj9 is made of C, E, G, B and D. In intervals that is 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 above the root, C.
What is the easiest way to play Cmaj9?
The first shape above is the most common one: x 3 0 0 0 0 from the low E string to the high E, where x means don't play that string and 0 means play it open. Start there, and try the other shapes once it feels comfortable.
Is Cmaj9 a barre chord?
The main shape above is an open chord with no barre. Some of the other shapes further up the neck do use a barre, which lets you move the same shape to any key.