E9 chord on piano
E9 is E, G♯, B, D and F♯. You'll find E just right of the pair of black keys (a white key). Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · E–G♯–B–D–F♯ · right hand 1-2-3-4-5
- Notes
- E · G♯ · B · D · F♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
How to play E9 on piano
Count keys (black and white) from E: 4 half steps up to G♯, 3 half steps up to B, 3 half steps up to D then 4 half steps up to F♯. That's the whole chord: 5 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on E, 2 on G♯, 3 on B, 4 on D and 5 on F♯.
- Left hand: 5 on E, 4 on G♯, 3 on B, 2 on D and 1 on F♯.
- On the keyboard it's white, black, white, white and black keys.
Two ways to voice E9
- root position: E–G♯–B–D–F♯. RH 1-2-3-4-5.
- close voicing: E–F♯–G♯–B–D. RH 1-2-3-4-5.
The close voicing folds the ninth down next to the root, which fits under one hand; the spread voicing sounds wider.
Moving between E9 and its neighbours
These are the changes you'll meet most often with E9, using the first shape of each chord.
- A (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): E9 to A: play A in 2nd inversion (E–A–C♯) and E stays under the same finger, while G♯ moves up to A and D down to C♯. A on piano
- Amaj7 (I in A major): E9 to Amaj7: play Amaj7 in 2nd inversion (E–G♯–A–C♯) and E and G♯ stay under the same fingers, while B moves down to A and D down to C♯. Amaj7 on piano
- F♯m7 (vi in A major): E9 to F♯m7: play F♯m7 in 1st inversion (A–C♯–E–F♯) and F♯ stays under the same finger, while G♯ moves up to A, D down to C♯ and D up to E. F♯m7 on piano
E9 is a dominant ninth: E7 with the ninth on top. E9 is the funk and soul version of E7, fuller on top and still pulling toward its resolution. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Practice E9 in two minutes
Start with a broken chord, E G♯ B D F♯ D B G♯ E, then play it solid.
The keys of E9
E9 is a dominant ninth chord, 1–3–5–♭7–9 from E. Root position, from the bottom: how E9 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| G♯ | black key | RH 2 · LH 4 | major third |
| B | white key | RH 3 · LH 3 | perfect fifth |
| D | white key | RH 4 · LH 2 | minor seventh |
| F♯ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | ninth |
Keys and progressions with E9
E9 on guitar and ukulele
E9 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 5 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Next to try on piano
Other dominant ninth chords
E9 on piano: questions
What notes are in E9 on piano?
E, G♯, B, D and F♯: E (white key), G♯ (black key), B (white key), D (white key) and F♯ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-4-5, left hand 5-4-3-2-1.
How do you play E9 on piano?
Press E, G♯, B, D and F♯ together (2 black, 3 white). Right hand: 1 on E, 2 on G♯, 3 on B, 4 on D and 5 on F♯.
What are the inversions of E9?
E9 is usually played in root position (E–G♯–B–D–F♯) or as a close voicing (E–F♯–G♯–B–D).
What does E9 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, white, white and black keys.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes E, G♯, B, D and F♯ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.