E9 Guitar Chord

E9 is a dominant 9th chord made of E · G♯ · B · D · F♯. A 7th chord with the 9th added — funky and bluesy. The standard shape is a barre chord at fret 1: 020102 (6th string → 1st string, x = don't play, 0 = open string).

Chord charts

Open position · root on 6th string · 020102

Fret 1 · root on 4th string · xx2132

Fret 6 · root on 5th string · x7677x · from fret 6

Fret 11 barre · root on 6th string · 12-11-12-11-12-x · from fret 11

Index finger on string 3 (G), fret 1.
Middle finger on string 5 (A), fret 2.
Ring finger on string 1 (e), fret 2.
Let strings 6, 4, 2 ring open.
Strum down from string 6.

E9 guitar chord chart — fret 1 barre 020102 and 3 more shapes — All E9 shapes on one image — long-press (or right-click) to save it.

Notes in the chord

E
rootG♯
3rdB
5thD
7thF♯
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 E chords

E Em E7 Emaj7 Em7 E6 Em6 Esus4 Esus2 E7sus4 Edim Edim7 Em7b5 Eaug Eadd9 E9 Em9 Emaj9

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 E9 chord?

The E9 chord is made of E, G♯, B, D, F♯. A 7th chord with the 9th added — funky and bluesy.

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

The standard shape, from the 6th string to the 1st, is 020102 (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 E9?

E mixolydian or E 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).