B9 Guitar Chord

B9 is a dominant 9th chord made of B · D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯. A 7th chord with the 9th added — funky and bluesy. The standard shape is a barre chord at fret 1: x2122x (6th string → 1st string, x = don't play, 0 = open string).

Chord charts

Fret 1 · root on 5th string · x2122x

Fret 4 barre · root on 6th string · 744645 · from fret 4

Fret 7 barre · root on 6th string · 797879 · from fret 7

Fret 8 · root on 4th string · x-x-9-8-10-9 · from fret 8

Index finger on string 4 (D), fret 1.
Middle finger on string 5 (A), fret 2.
Ring finger on string 3 (G), fret 2.
Pinky finger on string 2 (B), fret 2.
Don't play strings 6, 1 (or mute lightly).
Strum down from string 5.

B9 guitar chord chart — fret 1 barre x2122x and 3 more shapes — All B9 shapes on one image — long-press (or right-click) to save it.

Notes in the chord

B
rootD♯
3rdF♯
5thA
7thC♯
9th

Play it easier with a capo

There's no convenient open shape to capo for this chord — the barre shape is the way to go.

Try it: capo on

Scales that fit

Other B chords

B Bm B7 Bmaj7 Bm7 B6 Bm6 Bsus4 Bsus2 B7sus4 Bdim Bdim7 Bm7b5 Baug Badd9 B9 Bm9 Bmaj9

Dominant 9th chords in other keys

C9 C♯9 D9 E♭9 E9 F9 F♯9 G9 A♭9 A9 B♭9 B9

FAQ

What notes are in the B9 chord?

The B9 chord is made of B, D♯, F♯, A, C♯. A 7th chord with the 9th added — funky and bluesy.

What's the easiest way to play B9 on guitar?

The standard shape, from the 6th string to the 1st, is x2122x (a barre chord at fret 1). Barre with your index finger and form the shape with the other fingers.

Which scale works for soloing over B9?

B mixolydian or B blues fits well.

🎸 Transpose a whole chord sheet — Buskermate
Upload a PDF song sheet and Buskermate reads the chords and moves them to any key or capo position (the app is in Korean for now).