E minor ninth (Em9) chord on guitar

Looking for the Em9 chord on guitar? It is a minor ninth chord (a minor seventh plus a major ninth), made of five notes: E – G – B – D – F♯.

Dots show:

Open positionmedium

Open positioneasy

Position 4easy

Position 5medium

Position 10medium

Barre, fret 12medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

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What the Em9 chord sounds like

A minor ninth is a minor seventh with an added major ninth: soft and warm, typical of R&B and neo-soul.

Notes of the Em9 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	E	root
3	G	minor third (3 semitones)
5	B	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	D	minor seventh (10 semitones)
9	F♯	major second (2 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Open position

String 1 (e): fret 2, ring finger (F♯4)
String 2 (B): fret 3, little finger (D4)
String 3 (G): open (G3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, middle finger (E3)
String 5 (A): fret 2, index finger (B2)
String 6 (E): open (E2)

Open position

String 1 (e): fret 2, middle finger (F♯4)
String 2 (B): fret 3, ring finger (D4)
String 3 (G): open (G3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, index finger (E3)
String 5 (A): not played
String 6 (E): not played

Position 4

String 1 (e): open (E4)
String 2 (B): open (B3)
String 3 (G): open (G3)
String 4 (D): fret 4, index finger (F♯3)
String 5 (A): fret 5, middle finger (D3)
String 6 (E): open (E2)

Tuning: E A D G B E (low to high). String 6 is the thickest, the low E. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The Em9 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

E minor: i9 (tonic)
B minor: iv9 (subdominant)
G major: vi9
D major: ii9

Similar chords and substitutes

If Em9 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

G – relative major: two shared notes
C – the major chord a major third below: two shared notes
Em7 – a fuller, softer minor colour

Simpler versions

Em7 – all 4 of its notes are in this chord
Em – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
Esus2 – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
E5 – all 2 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Em9 chord?

E, G, B, D, F♯. The root is E; the intervals of the other notes from the root: minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, major second.

What is the easiest way to play Em9 on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Open position”, rated easy. We show 6 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some Em9 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 5-note chord. The fifth (B) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

How is the Em9 chord written?

The chord symbol is Em9, and its full name is E minor ninth.