Chord & FretC9 on electric guitar
On the electric guitar a chord needs only a few clear notes — the amp sustains them and fills the space, so you mute the strings you are not playing and let the tone carry the rest. In this C9 voicing the bass is E and the shape sits at fret 1, ringing 4 open strings. Plugged into an amp, each chord sustains for as long as you hold it, and the tone — clean or driven — shapes the whole sound.
Notes in C9: C – E – G – Bb – DFormula: 1 – 3 – 5 – b7 – 9In the formula, the numbers count steps of the major scale starting from the note that names the chord; "b" lowers a half step, "#" raises one — and a slash names the bass note.
Where to use it: Blues, funk, choro and broader dominants.
Every region of the neck hides more shapes of C9 on electric guitar. In Chord & Fret, you hear every shape strummed string by string, in the instrument's own voice; open every variation on the neck, grouped by bass note; and change the tuning — the shape rewrites itself. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. Plays offline.
See the whole neck in Chord & Fret →Part of the Extended family.