Note: You'll gain the most from this article if you have a basic understanding of major and minor chords and seventh chords. If you aren't familiar with these concepts, take a look at our guides to major and minor chords and seventh chords.

Ninth chords show up in various styles of music, but their general function is often the same: to add atmosphere and emotional depth through a richer, more complex harmony. With an understanding of ninth chords, you’ll be able to learn songs faster and have more room for expression when you play. They will definitely take your music-making to the next level!

The concept of ninth chords may seem complicated, but it all boils down to the addition of one special note. In this article, we'll introduce the ninth note and show you how it can be added to various chords to create different types of ninth chords. You'll learn how to play the most common types of ninth chords and hear how they sound on piano. Then, we'll explore some examples of ninth chords across several genres of music.

What's a ninth note?

To understand ninth chords, you’ll first have to understand the ninth note. Since there are only seven notes in a major or minor scale, you may be thinking, "How can there be a ninth note?”

The ninth note we're referring to here is in the same scale, but one octave higher. Below is an example using the C major scale — you'll notice that the eighth note, C, is the same as the root note, but one octave higher.

Using the same logic, the ninth note is the same as the second note, but one octave higher.

What's a ninth chord?

Ninth chords get their name from the fact that they encompass the interval of a ninth — or, in other words, they include a ninth note. There are two ways to create them, with different names for the resulting chords:

• Added ninth chord — A major or minor triad (three-note chord) plus a ninth note 
• Ninth chord — A seventh chord (four-note chord) plus a ninth note

In general, all ninth chords bring complexity and harmonic richness to music. Ninth chords, with five notes in total, tend to be even richer and more layered than added ninth chords. Let's dive a bit deeper into these differences by examining each separately.

Added ninth chords

Added ninth chords are the simplest form of ninth chord: a major or minor triad with an added ninth note. They're often used in pop music to add depth to "ordinary" triads.

Major added ninth chord

As mentioned above, a major added ninth chord is a major triad with a ninth note added. This makes the chord sound brighter, richer and more expressive.

It's written as the root plus add9. Here's how the C major added ninth chord — or Cadd9 — looks:

[Image: true Cadd9]

You may be noticing that the notes of Cadd9 are spread quite far apart. The ninth note will often be played down an octave in order to be closer to the other notes of the chord. When this happens, the ninth note is actually the second note and would be written as the name of the chord plus add2 — so, continuing with our C major scale example, we'd have Cadd2, which looks like this:

Minor added ninth chord

A minor added ninth chord is a minor triad with a ninth note added. This brightens and enriches the harmony while maintaining the usual melancholic minor-chord mood.

It’s written as the root, plus m (for minor), plus add9. The C minor added ninth chord — or Cmadd9 — looks like this:

[Image: true Cmadd9]

As with our example of Cadd2 above, you can also move the ninth note in Cmadd9 down an octave. This would make it Cmadd2, which looks like like this:

How do you play an added ninth chord on piano?

In the left hand, start with the major or minor triad. This could be with your fifth finger, third finger and first finger on the root, third and fifth notes, or however you feel comfortable. 

In your right hand, play the ninth note with any finger — this is 3.5 steps up from your middle finger (seven half steps above the fifth). It will look and sound a little different depending on your starting chord.

What songs use added ninth chords?

"Every Breath You Take" — The Police

This song takes the use of added ninth chords to another level. Throughout the introduction and verse, every chord is an added ninth, played as broken chords. It takes a progression that might otherwise sound ordinary and gives it a wistful, yearning edge that fits what have been called the world's "most misinterpreted" lyrics.

"More Than Words" — Extreme

The add9 chord, in the form of Badd9, features prominently in this tender rock ballad — you'll find it in measures two, six and others throughout the song. It adds a layer of depth and richness to the song's acoustic texture, enhancing its emotional resonance and underscoring the heartfelt plea in the lyrics.

Ninth chords

Ninth chords and added ninth chords may have the ninth note in common, but the foundation of each chord is much different. With ninth chords, you have five notes in total — the four notes of a seventh chord plus the ninth note. The extra note means ninth chords are even richer and more layered than added ninth chords, which sound simpler and more open in comparison.

Below you'll find three common types of ninth chords: major, minor and dominant. 

Major ninth chord

A major ninth chord is a major seventh chord with a ninth note added. The ninth takes the already emotional sound of a major seventh chord up a level. 

It's written as the root plus maj9. Here's how the C major ninth chord — or Cmaj9 — looks:

Minor ninth chord

A minor ninth chord is a minor seventh chord with a ninth note added. It takes the reflective feeling of a minor seventh chord and brings in a slight dissonance. The effect is even more nostalgic, with a bit of an edge. 

It's written as the root plus m9. Here's what the C minor ninth chord — or Cm9 — looks like: 

Dominant ninth chord

A dominant ninth chord is a dominant — or major/minor — seventh chord with a ninth note added. Adding the ninth increases the seventh chord's harmonic tension, creating a strong pull toward resolution. These chords are common in jazz and blues music, and they'll often add that flavor to any genre of music in which they're used.

This is where the naming gets tricky, because it's sometimes (confusingly) just called a ninth chord, with the root simply followed by the number 9. Here's what the C dominant ninth chord — or C9 — looks like:

How do you play a ninth chord on piano?

We mentioned above that added ninth chords can be challenging to accomplish with a single hand; with ninth chords, since they comprise five notes, this is even more so the case. For this reason, they're almost always played with two hands.

In the left hand, start with any seventh chord. Place your fifth finger, third finger, second finger and first finger on the root, third, fifth and seventh notes. In your right hand, play the ninth note with any finger.

If this stretch in your left hand is uncomfortable, you can play the seventh note with the right hand. As you get used to playing ninth chords, you may find that, in practice, spreading the chord across both hands is common.

What songs use ninth chords?

"Clair de Lune" — Claude Debussy

Debussy was a virtuoso when it came to taking the listener on a fantastical journey using huge chords. One of those moments happens in the fifteenth bar of this masterpiece. Listen for that strong, deep note down low, followed by the lush flourish in the octaves above. Together, those eight notes make up a breathtaking minor ninth chord.

"Pavane pour une infante défunte" — Maurice Ravel

Ravel takes a darker approach for this classic, known in English as "Dance for a Dead Princess."Moving from bar 26 into bar 27, you can hear five rich chords moving down, then up again. All of them are ninth chords, bringing extra impact to this dreamy, mystical piece.

A quick recap

Even experienced piano players can get confused with the names of ninth chords. Here's a recap of how to build each of them and how they're written:

Explore and learn more! Next steps and resources

Now that you have an understanding of ninth chords, we recommend trying out some of the song examples above and seeing how ninth chords work in other songs, too. You can also learn more about chords with our courses in the flowkey app, and check out other articles in our chords library — for example, the ones on sixth chords and chord progressions.

With interactive song tutorials and courses covering all the piano basics and more, flowkey is a great support for learning piano at your own pace — and there's a seven-day free trial, so you can try it out risk-free.

Happy playing!