A major ninth (Amaj9) chord on ukulele

The A major ninth chord (Amaj9) is a major ninth chord (a major seventh chord plus a major ninth), made of five notes: A – C♯ – E – G♯ – B.

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 6easy

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

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the Amaj9 chord sounds like

A major ninth is a major seventh chord with an added ninth: spacious, floating and very jazzy as a tonic.

Notes of the Amaj9 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A	root
3	C♯	major third (4 semitones)
5	E	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	G♯	major seventh (11 semitones)
9	B	major second (2 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (A): fret 2, ring finger (B4)
String 2 (E): fret 4, little finger (G♯4)
String 3 (C): fret 1, index finger (C♯4)
String 4 (G): fret 2, middle finger (A4)

Position 6

String 1 (A): open (A4)
String 2 (E): fret 7, middle finger (B4)
String 3 (C): fret 8, ring finger (G♯4)
String 4 (G): fret 6, index finger (C♯5)

Tuning: G C E A (the G string is higher than the C – standard re-entrant ukulele tuning). In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The Amaj9 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

A major: Imaj9 (tonic)
E major: IVmaj9 (subdominant)
F♯ minor: IIImaj9
C♯ minor: VImaj9

Similar chords and substitutes

If Amaj9 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

F♯m7 – relative minor seventh: three shared notes
C♯m7 – mediant minor seventh: three shared notes
A6 – another tonic colour, more vintage and swingy

Simpler versions

Amaj7 – all 4 of its notes are in this chord
Aadd9 – all 4 of its notes are in this chord
A – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
Asus2 – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Amaj9 chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play Amaj9 on ukulele?

The easiest shape above is “Position 6”, rated easy. We show 2 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 Amaj9 shapes?

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

How is the Amaj9 chord written?

The chord symbol is Amaj9, and its full name is A major ninth.