E major ninth

Emaj9

Also written EM9 · EΔ9

NotesE · G♯ · B · D♯ · F♯
Formula1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
E1B5G♯3D♯7F♯9
All its notes, from the root

The major 9th: a tonic with the 9th on top, lush but stable. Without its root it is G♯m7 — a minor 7th built on the 3rd — which is the quickest way to find it on the keyboard.

How pianists voice Emaj9

Nobody plays a jazz chord in root position. These are the shapes that actually get played — the same ones Cadenza shows when you play the chord.

Shell Left hand

E1G♯3D♯7

1 · 3 · 7 — root, 3rd and 7th: the three notes that say what the chord is. Left hand, low; everything else is colour.

Rootless A From the 3rd

B5G♯3D♯7F♯9

3 · 5 · 7 · 9 — no root: the bass player has it. The left-hand voicing of modern jazz piano. Without E underneath, the same keys read as G♯m7 — the bass turns them into Emaj9.

Rootless B From the 7th

B5D♯7F♯9G♯3

7 · 9 · 3 · 5 — the other half of the pair. A and B alternate through a ii–V–I so the hand barely moves.

Drop 2 Two hands

B5E1G♯3D♯7

5 · 1 · 3 · 7 — close position with the second voice from the top dropped an octave: wider, warmer, the standard for chord melody.

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