B9 chord
B9 is B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯: 1–3–5–♭7–9 built on B. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
7-9-7-8-7-9 · barre · medium
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- 7-9-7-8-7-9
B9 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · B–D♯–F♯–A–C♯ · right hand 1-2-3-4-5
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
B9 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
4-3-5-4 · movable · medium
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- 4-3-5-4
Changing out of B9
Three changes cover most of what B9 does in songs.
- B9 → E (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below)
Guitar: B9 (7-9-7-8-7-9) to E (0-2-2-1-0-0): the index finger goes to the G string, 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the D string, 2nd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. B carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: B9 to E: play E in 2nd inversion (B–E–G♯) and B stays under the same finger, while D♯ moves up to E and A down to G♯. E - B9 → Emaj7 (I in E major)
Guitar: B9 (7-9-7-8-7-9) to Emaj7 (0-2-1-1-0-0): your index finger lands on the D string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 1st fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Listen for B and D♯, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: B9 to Emaj7: play Emaj7 in 2nd inversion (B–D♯–E–G♯) and B and D♯ stay under the same fingers, while F♯ moves down to E and A down to G♯. Emaj7 - B9 → C♯m7 (vi in E major)
Guitar: B9 (7-9-7-8-7-9) to C♯m7 (x-4-2-1-0-0): the index finger goes to the G string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 4th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for B and C♯, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: B9 to C♯m7: play C♯m7 in 1st inversion (E–G♯–B–C♯) and C♯ stays under the same finger, while D♯ moves up to E, A down to G♯ and A up to B. C♯m7
Guitar with a capo: capo 7, E9 shape.
How B9 is built
B9 is a dominant ninth: B7 with the ninth on top. It has the pull of a seventh chord with a funkier, fuller color, and like B7 it leans toward E.
Start on B, count 4 half steps up to D♯, 3 half steps up to F♯, 3 half steps up to A then 4 half steps up to C♯.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | root | 0 | |
| D♯ | major third | 4 | |
| F♯ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| A | minor seventh | 10 | |
| C♯ | ninth | 14 |
Keys and progressions with B9
B9 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
Chords close to B9
- B9 is B7 plus C♯. B7
Chords that share most of their notes with B9: D♯m7♭5, F♯m6, B7, Badd9, D♯dim, F♯m.
Every B chord
B9 chord: questions
What notes are in the B9 chord?
B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯. B9 is built 1–3–5–♭7–9 from B: D♯ is the major third, F♯ is the perfect fifth, A is the minor seventh and C♯ is the ninth.
How do you play B9 on guitar?
The usual shape is 7-9-7-8-7-9 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play B9 on piano?
Play B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-4-5. B sits just right of the group of three black keys. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play B9 on ukulele?
4-3-5-4 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is B9 in?
B9 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
What's the difference between B9 and B7?
B9 is B7 plus C♯.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.