Em9 Ukulele Chord

Em9 is the E minor ninth chord. It has five notes: E, G, B, D and F sharp. Four strings can hold four of them, so every shape drops the fifth. The standard shape spreads three fingers between the 2nd and 5th frets with the open g string as the flat third.

A diagonal of three fingers between the 2nd and 5th frets, with the open g string ringing as the flat third. The fifth is left out, as in every ninth shape.

How to play Em9 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 2nd fret, E string
Middle finger: 4th fret, C string
Ring finger: 5th fret, A string
Leave the G string open. Strum all four strings.

The open g string is the flat third here, and the F sharp under your index is the ninth. The shape is a diagonal: each finger sits one string and a few frets from the last.

More ways to play Em9

There are 3 common Em9 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.

Em9 ukulele chord diagram, frets 5 to 6, played 0605 — Frets 5 to 6

Em9 ukulele chord diagram, frets 7 to 9, played 7709 — Frets 7 to 9

If it sounds unclear

The stretch feels too wide: The fingers span the 2nd to 5th frets. Bring the thumb low behind the neck and point the fingers along the strings rather than across them; the diagonal then falls under the hand.
The open g string is muffled: The middle finger on the C string can lean back into it. Stand it on its tip so the open G, the flat third, rings clear.
The ring finger note thuds: It holds the flat seventh at the 5th fret of the A string, the far corner of the shape. Press with the very tip and check the finger is not flattening onto the E string.

What makes it an Em9

E · G · B · D · F♯ 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9

Em9 is an Em7 chord with a ninth added: E, G, B and D make the minor seventh, and the F sharp makes it a ninth. The shapes here keep the root, flat third, flat seventh and ninth and drop the fifth, the one note a ninth chord can spare.

It is the ii chord of D and the vi of G, two of the most played ukulele keys, so Em9 slots into real songs immediately. Minor ninths are the everyday minor of soul and jazz, where a plain minor seventh can sound bare.

Em9 vs Em7

Em9 adds an F sharp, the ninth, to the four notes of Em7. The ninth sits a whole step above the root an octave up and gives the chord its floating, unresolved sweetness.

Em7 on a ukulele is a two finger shape in the first two frets; Em9 stretches across four. When the song only needs the colour for a bar, the two finger version of Em9 further up this page is the practical middle ground.

Em9 chord questions

What is the difference between Em9 and Em7?

Em9 has an F sharp, the ninth, added to the four notes of Em7. Same chord, more colour on top.

Why is there no B 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 ninth chords always drop it.

Is there an easier Em9?

Yes: press the C string at the 6th fret and the A string at the 5th and leave the other two open. Two fingers, and the open g and E strings carry the flat third and the root.

Where is Em9 used?

As the ii chord in D, as the vi in G, and as a drop in replacement for E minor whenever the song can take a little more colour.

Which note is the ninth?

The F sharp. In the standard shape it sits under your index at the 2nd fret of the E string, a whole step above the root E next door on the C string.