E9 chord on ukulele

E9 is E, G♯, B, D and F♯. The usual shape is 7-6-4-7. Tap Play, then slow it down.

7-6-4-7 · movable · medium

Notes: E · G♯ · B · D · F♯
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
First shape: 7-6-4-7

How to play E9 on ukulele

Shape 1, 7-6-4-7, reading from the G string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

Put your index finger on the E string at the 4th fret, which is G♯.
Put your middle finger on the C string at the 6th fret, which is F♯.
Put your ring finger on the G string at the 7th fret, which is D.
Put your pinky finger on the A string at the 7th fret, which is E.

Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.
A four-fret stretch: drop your wrist a little and point your thumb up the back of the neck.
On ukulele you strum all four strings. The top G string is tuned higher than the C, which is why ukulele chords sound bright and close.

Other ways to play E9

9-8-10-9: movable shape at the 8th fret, medium. Higher up the neck it sounds brighter; handy when another guitar is already playing a lower shape.

E9 the capo way

A capo turns an open chord into E9: capo on the 4th fret and play the open C9 shape (0-2-0-1). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

E9 chord changes

The chords E9 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

A (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): E9 (7-6-4-7) to A (2-1-0-0): your index finger lands on the C string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret. E carries over from one chord to the other. A on ukulele
Amaj7 (I in A major): E9 (7-6-4-7) to Amaj7 (1-1-0-0): move the index finger to the G string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the C string, 1st fret. E and G♯ carry over from one chord to the other. Amaj7 on ukulele
F♯m7 (vi in A major): E9 (7-6-4-7) to F♯m7 (2-4-2-4): move the index finger to the G string, 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the E string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the C string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share E and F♯, which is why the change sounds smooth. F♯m7 on ukulele

E9 is a dominant ninth: E7 with the ninth on top. With four strings, shape 1 leaves out the perfect fifth (B); the ear fills it in, and the chord still reads as E9. The usual guitar shape, 0-2-0-1-0-2, has room for all of them. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

A short E9 drill

Before strumming, play 7-6-4-7 note by note: D then F♯ then G♯ then E. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Finish by moving between 7-6-4-7 and 9-8-10-9 to learn two positions of the same chord.

Where E9 shows up

E9 on guitar and piano

Switching instruments? Try E9 on piano or E9 on guitar, or compare them on the E9 chord page.

Close to E9

Other dominant ninth chords

E9 on ukulele: questions

What notes are in E9 on ukulele?

E, G♯, B, D and F♯. In the 7-6-4-7 shape the strings play D (G string), F♯ (C string), G♯ (E string) and E (A string).

What's the easiest way to play E9 on ukulele?

E9 has no open-string shape in standard tuning, so every version needs a barre or a stretch. Start with 7-6-4-7. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is E9 a barre chord on ukulele?

Not usually: 7-6-4-7 needs no barre.

Which string does E9 start on?

In the 7-6-4-7 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 7th fret, which is D, the minor seventh.

Every shape above plays only E, G♯, B, D and F♯, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.