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E♭ major 9th chord on guitar (E♭maj9)
Also called or written E♭maj9 or E♭
E♭ major 9th contains E♭, G, B♭, D, and F. The 10th-fret barre shape requires a wide stretch and clean barre across all six strings.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
- Root positionE♭–G–B♭–D–FE♭maj911-10-12-10-11-10
- First inversionG–B♭–D–F–E♭E♭maj9/G3-1-1-3-3-1
- Second inversionB♭–D–F–E♭–GE♭maj9/B♭×-1-1-0-3-1
- Third inversionD–F–E♭–G–B♭E♭maj9/D×-5-3-3-4-3
- Fourth inversionF–E♭–G–B♭–DE♭maj9/F1-1-1-0-3-×
How do you play an E♭ major 9th chord on guitar?
E♭ major 9th is played at the 10th fret as 11 10 12 10 11 10: barre your index finger across fret 10, middle finger on the low E string at fret 11, pinky finger on the D string at fret 12 and ring finger on the B string at fret 11.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 4 | D (7) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 3 | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 10 | 1 (barre) | D (7) |
AdvancedThe index barre must fret the A, G, and high e strings while the pinky stretches to fret 12 on the D string.
E♭maj9/G inversion · fret 1
E♭ major 9th is played at the 1st fret as 3 1 1 3 3 1: barre your index finger across fret 1, middle finger on the low E string at fret 3, ring finger on the G string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 3.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 2 | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 3 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
E♭maj9/G inversion · fret 3
E♭ major 9th is played at the 3rd fret as 3 5 3 3 4 3: barre your index finger across fret 3, pinky finger on the A string at fret 5 and ring finger on the B string at fret 4.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 5 | 4 | D (7) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
E♭maj9/G inversion · fret 10
E♭ major 9th is played at the 10th fret as × 10 12 10 11 11: barre your index finger across fret 10, pinky finger on the D string at fret 12, middle finger on the B string at fret 11 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 11. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 4 | D (7) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 2 | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
E♭maj9/G inversion · fret 13
E♭ major 9th is played at the 13th fret as 15 13 13 15 15 13: barre your index finger across fret 13, middle finger on the low E string at fret 15, ring finger on the G string at fret 15 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 15.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 15 | 2 | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 15 | 3 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 15 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ major 9th is built from the 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 of the E♭ major scale. The major 7th D and the 9th F give it a rich, velvety character. Compare it to E♭ major 7th, which lacks the 9th.
What goes wrong with E♭ major 9th?
- Letting the barre miss the high e string, losing the 9th.
- Flattening the pinky onto the 3rd string, deadening the 5th.
- Strumming too hard, causing the low E to overpower the root on the A string.
When to use it
E♭ major 9th functions as the I chord in E♭ major, fitting progressions like E♭–A♭–B♭–E♭ (I–IV–V–I). Its lush, mellow sound suits jazz ballads, R&B, and gospel. It also works over E♭ major and E♭ major 7th.
Changing to and from E♭ major 9th
- Move to <a href="/guitar/c-sharp-major-9-chord">C♯ major 9th</a> by sliding the shape down two frets to the 8th fret.
- Shift to <a href="/guitar/d-major-9-chord">D major 9th</a> by sliding the shape down one fret to the 9th fret.
Which voicing to use
The 10th-fret voicing keeps E♭ in the bass for a solid root position. The E♭maj9/G inversions place the third in the bass, creating a lighter, more open sound. The 1st-fret inversion uses a low barre for a compact, mid-register alternative.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ major 9th written?
E♭ major 9th is written E♭ or E♭maj9. The ASCII root is Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between E♭ major 9th and E♭ add 9?
E♭ major 9th includes the major 7th D along with the 9th F. E♭ add 9 omits the 7th, giving a less dense sound.
Why does the 10th-fret shape use a barre?
The barre on the 10th fret covers the A, G, and high e strings, which are all chord tones. It allows the other fingers to reach the 11th and 12th frets.