C#maj9 Ukulele Chord

C#maj9 is the C sharp major ninth chord. Its five notes are C sharp, F, G sharp, C and D sharp, and on four strings the fifth is left out. One shape holds the remaining four notes inside a reachable window, a four finger box between the 5th and 8th frets, which is why this page shows a single voicing.

All four fingers in a box between the 5th and 8th frets, root on the G string. The movable maj9 grip: two frets down it is Bmaj9.

How to play C#maj9 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 5th fret, C string
Middle finger: 6th fret, G string
Ring finger: 6th fret, A string
Pinky finger: 8th fret, E string
Strum all four strings.

This is the movable maj9 grip with the root on the G string: slide the exact same pattern two frets down and it becomes Bmaj9. Learn the grip once and the position names the chord.

If the shape will not ring

The pinky reach to the 8th fret is a strain: Three fingers hold the 5th and 6th frets while the pinky takes the E string at the 8th. Drop the elbow and let the pinky land from above rather than stretching sideways.
A note in the middle buzzes: Four fingers in one box will mute a neighbour if any lies flat. Arch each finger and press with the tip.
The whole chord sounds stiff: Up here the frets are close together. Press each note just behind its fret wire; near the wire the least pressure gives the cleanest note.

What makes it a C#maj9

C♯ · F · G♯ · C · D♯ 1 3 5 7 9

C#maj9 is a C#maj7 chord with a ninth added: C sharp, F, G sharp and C make the seventh chord, and the D sharp on top makes it a ninth. On a ukulele the fifth, G sharp, is dropped: four strings hold four notes, and the fifth is the note the ear misses least.

It is the I chord of C sharp major at its softest. Most players meet the key as D flat, a piano and horn key, so this chord belongs to soul and jazz charts; when a songbook writes Dbmaj9, this is the page.

C#maj9 vs C#maj7

C#maj9 is C#maj7 with a D sharp added. The seventh already settles the chord; the ninth widens it into the sound of an arrangement rather than a strum.

Both are compact fretted boxes on a ukulele, so the choice is colour alone: the seventh rests, the ninth glows a little wider.

C#maj9 chord questions

Is C#maj9 the same as Dbmaj9?

Yes, one chord with two names. Flat keys usually write it as Dbmaj9; the fingering is identical.

Why does the chord list show F and C instead of E sharp and B sharp?

Strict spelling makes the third E sharp and the seventh B sharp, which are the same keys as F and C. Chord charts print the plain names because they are the ones players read at speed.

Why does this page show only one shape?

Every combination of the four strings was checked, and only one keeps the notes that make C#maj9 itself inside a window a hand can cover.

Why is there no G sharp in the chord?

Four strings hold four of the five notes, and the fifth is the one a ninth chord can spare.

Where is C#maj9 used?

As the I chord of C sharp or D flat major in soul, jazz and gospel, and anywhere Dbmaj7 is written and a wider sound is wanted.