Am9 Ukulele Chord

Am9 is the A minor ninth chord. It has five notes: A, C, E, G and B. On a ukulele only four can sound at once, so every shape drops the fifth. The standard shape sits in the first three frets with the open C string carrying the flat third.

Three fingers in the first three frets with the open C string, the flat third, ringing in the middle. The fifth is left out, which no ear misses in a ninth chord.

How to play Am9 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 2nd fret, G string
Middle finger: 2nd fret, A string
Ring finger: 3rd fret, E string
Leave the C string open. Strum all four strings.

The open C string is doing the minor work here: it is the flat third of the chord. Everything you fret sits around that one ringing string.

More ways to play Am9

There are 3 common Am9 shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Am9 ukulele chord diagram, frets 5 to 7, played 5770 — Frets 5 to 7

Am9 ukulele chord diagram, frets 7 to 7, played 0070 — Frets 7 to 7

If it sounds unclear

The open C string is muffled: The index on the G string leans over it. Stand the finger on its tip so the C, the flat third, rings freely between the fretted strings.
The ring finger reach feels wide: Index and middle sit at the 2nd fret while the ring stretches to the 3rd on the E string. Bring the thumb behind the neck and the spread shrinks.
The chord sounds like plain Am: The B on the A string is the ninth, the note that makes the chord. Check the middle finger presses just behind the 2nd fret so it rings clearly.

What makes it an Am9

A · C · E · G · B 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9

Am9 is an Am7 chord with a ninth added: A, C, E and G make the minor seventh, and the B on top makes it a ninth. Four strings cannot hold all five notes, so the shapes here keep the root, flat third, flat seventh and ninth and drop the fifth, the one note a ninth chord never misses.

It is the ii chord in the key of G and a richer stand in for A minor anywhere. Minor ninths are the everyday minor of soul and jazz, where a plain minor seventh can sound bare.

Am9 vs Am7

Am9 adds a B, the ninth, to the four notes of Am7. On a ukulele the difference is stark to the hands: Am7 is the four open strings with nothing pressed at all, and the ninth costs three fingers.

The trade is worth knowing rather than automatic. Am7 strums itself; Am9 sounds fuller and more deliberate. In a soul or jazz setting the ninth is usually the sound the song wants.

Am9 chord questions

What is the difference between Am9 and Am7?

Am9 has a B, the ninth, added to the four notes of Am7. Same chord, more colour on top. On a ukulele Am7 is the open strings and Am9 needs three fingers.

Why is there no E in the shape?

Four strings sound and the chord has five notes, so one has to go. The fifth adds weight but no character, which is why it is always the note ninth chords drop.

Is there a really easy Am9?

Yes: leave the G, C and A strings open and press the E string at the 7th fret. Three open strings do most of the work, and one finger adds the ninth.

Where is Am9 used?

As the ii chord in G, and as a substitute for A minor in almost any song. It is a staple of soul, R and B and jazz.

Does the high g string matter here?

Yes. In the standard shape the g string fretted at the 2nd fret is the root, A. Ukulele tuning is re-entrant, so that root rings high rather than low, which is part of the airy sound.