Tools / Chords / D minor 9th

D minor 9th chord on guitar (Dm9)

Also written Dm9 or D

D minor 9th contains D, F, A, C and E. The 10th-fret barre is a movable shape that works up and down the neck.

10th fret10-12-10-10-10-12

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

D1Root

F♭3Minor 3rd

A5Perfect 5th

C♭7Minor 7th

E99th

Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionD–F–A–C–EDm9Bass D

First inversionF–A–C–E–DDm9/FBass F

Second inversionA–C–E–D–FDm9/ABass A

Third inversionC–E–D–F–ADm9/CBass C

Fourth inversionE–D–F–A–CDm9/EBass E

Why it sounds like that

D minor 9th is built from the formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9. The 9th, E, is what separates it from D minor 7th. The ♭7, C, gives the chord its minor 9th quality.

What goes wrong with D minor 9th?

The D string is muted because the ring finger leans against it when fretting the A string.
The high E string does not ring clearly because the pinky is not pressing hard enough.

When to use it

D minor 9th is the vi chord in F major, appearing in the I–V–vi–IV progression F–C–Dm–B♭. It suits jazz, funk and R&B where the 9th adds a smooth colour.

Changing to and from D minor 9th

Sliding the shape down two frets to the 8th fret gives C minor 9th.
Sliding the shape down one fret to the 9th fret gives C♯ minor 9th.

Which voicing to use

The 10th-fret voicing has D in the bass and is the default grip. The Dm9/F inversion, with F in the bass, creates a darker sound that works when the bass player covers the root.

How do you play a D minor 9th chord on guitar?

10th fret

Barre● On the diagram

D minor 9th is played at the 10th fret as 10 12 10 10 10 12: barre your index finger across fret 10, ring finger on the A string at fret 12 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 12.

Tip — The index barre must hold down all six strings at the 10th fret while the ring finger and pinky stretch to the 12th fret.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	10	1 (barre)	D (1)
5 (A)	12	3	A (5)
4 (D)	10	1 (barre)	C (♭7)
3 (G)	10	1 (barre)	F (♭3)
2 (B)	10	1 (barre)	A (5)
1 (e)	12	4	E (9)

Dm9/F inversion · 1-0-0-2-1-0

Beginner

D minor 9th is played in open position as 1 0 0 2 1 0: index finger on the low E string at fret 1, ring finger on the G string at fret 2 and middle finger on the B string at fret 1. The A, D and high e strings ring open.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	1	1	F (♭3)
5 (A)	open	—	A (5)
4 (D)	open	—	D (1)
3 (G)	2	3	A (5)
2 (B)	1	2	C (♭7)
1 (e)	open	—	E (9)

Dm9/F inversion · 1-3-0-2-1-0

Beginner

D minor 9th is played in open position as 1 3 0 2 1 0: index finger on the low E string at fret 1, pinky finger on the A string at fret 3, ring finger on the G string at fret 2 and middle finger on the B string at fret 1. The D and high e strings ring open.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	1	1	F (♭3)
5 (A)	3	4	C (♭7)
4 (D)	open	—	D (1)
3 (G)	2	3	A (5)
2 (B)	1	2	C (♭7)
1 (e)	open	—	E (9)

Dm9/F inversion · 1-3-0-2-3-0

Beginner

D minor 9th is played in open position as 1 3 0 2 3 0: index finger on the low E string at fret 1, ring finger on the A string at fret 3, middle finger on the G string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 3. The D and high e strings ring open.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	1	1	F (♭3)
5 (A)	3	3	C (♭7)
4 (D)	open	—	D (1)
3 (G)	2	2	A (5)
2 (B)	3	4	D (1)
1 (e)	open	—	E (9)

Dm9/F inversion · 13-12-12-14-13-12

Barre

D minor 9th is played at the 12th fret as 13 12 12 14 13 12: barre your index finger across fret 12, middle finger on the low E string at fret 13, pinky finger on the G string at fret 14 and ring finger on the B string at fret 13.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	13	2	F (♭3)
5 (A)	12	1 (barre)	A (5)
4 (D)	12	1 (barre)	D (1)
3 (G)	14	4	A (5)
2 (B)	13	3	C (♭7)
1 (e)	12	1 (barre)	E (9)

Common questions

How is D minor 9th written?

D minor 9th is written Dm9 or D minor 9th. The symbol Dm9 is the most common shorthand.

What is the difference between D minor 9th and D minor 7th?

D minor 9th adds the 9th, E, to the D minor 7th notes D, F, A and C. The 9th gives a more open, jazzy sound.

Can I play D minor 9th without a barre?

Yes, the Dm9/F inversion at the 1st fret uses open strings and no barre. It has F in the bass, so it works well when the bass player covers the root.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

D (1)

5 (A)

A (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

C (♭7)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

F (♭3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

A (5)

1 (e)

E (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

F (♭3)

5 (A)

open

—

A (5)

4 (D)

open

—

D (1)

3 (G)

A (5)

2 (B)

C (♭7)

1 (e)

open

—

E (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

F (♭3)

5 (A)

C (♭7)

4 (D)

open

—

D (1)

3 (G)

A (5)

2 (B)

C (♭7)

1 (e)

open

—

E (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

F (♭3)

5 (A)

C (♭7)

4 (D)

open

—

D (1)

3 (G)

A (5)

2 (B)

D (1)

1 (e)

open

—

E (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

F (♭3)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

A (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

D (1)

3 (G)

A (5)

2 (B)

C (♭7)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

E (9)