Ebmmaj9

EbmMaj9 is Eb, Gb, Bb, D and F, a minor major ninth. The shape this page opens on is written 111332, lowest string first.

Note by note. Eb is the root, Gb is the minor third, Bb is the fifth, D is the major seventh and F is the ninth.

Also written EbmM9, Ebm(maj9) or Eb-Δ9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for EbmMaj9 on the guitar, and 28 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of EbmMaj9 and you have Ebmaj9 (with one note moved), Ebm69 (with one note moved), Ebm9 (with one note moved), EbmMaj7 (with one note taken away), EbmMaj11 (with one note added) or Ebmadd9 (with one note taken away).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 111332, x6476x, 698766, 11-9-x-10-11-10, 11-9-12-10-x-x, 11-13-12-11-11-13.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for EbmMaj9 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 3 of the 6 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 13th.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. EbmMaj9 has x6476x, 11-9-12-10-x-x, x-x-13-11-15-13.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. EbmMaj9 has x6476x, 11-9-12-10-x-x, x-x-13-11-15-13, 2637xx, xx3742, x-8-12-8-7-x, x-x-12-10-7-11.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. EbmMaj9 has x-8-x-8-7-10, 13-x-13-11-15-x, x6x762, 2x374x, 11-x-12-10-7-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. EbmMaj9 has xx3332, x8877x, x-x-12-11-11-13, x-x-15-15-15-14, x5x362, x5436x, xx4766, x8x776.

Tensions. A shell of EbmMaj9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (Ab) and the 13 (C).

What kind of chord this is. EbmMaj9 is a minor chord — root, minor third, fifth. minor chords on every root, and what they are for.

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.