Emaj9 Ukulele Chord

Emaj9 is the E major ninth chord. It has five notes: E, G sharp, B, D sharp and F sharp, so on four strings the fifth is left out. The one honest shape sits between the 8th and 11th frets, all four fingers, which is why this page shows a single voicing.

All four fingers between the 8th and 11th frets, root on the G string. The movable maj9 grip at its highest common stop; two frets down it is Dmaj9.

How to play Emaj9 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 8th fret, C string
Middle finger: 9th fret, G string
Ring finger: 9th fret, A string
Pinky finger: 11th fret, E string
Strum all four strings.

This is the movable maj9 grip at its highest common stop: the same fingers two frets lower make Dmaj9. On a soprano the frets up here are narrow; a concert or tenor neck gives the hand more room.

If the shape will not ring

The frets are too narrow up here: Between the 8th and 11th frets the spaces shrink. Aim each fingertip just behind its fret wire, where the least pressure gives a clean note.
The pinky cannot reach the 11th fret: Let the thumb slide toward the underside of the neck and turn the wrist out slightly; the pinky lands from above rather than stretching.
The chord is quiet compared to open chords: Four fretted notes high on the neck carry less ring than open strings. Strum a touch harder and closer to the soundhole.

What makes it an Emaj9

E · G♯ · B · D♯ · F♯ 1 3 5 7 9

Emaj9 is an Emaj7 chord with a ninth added: E, G sharp, B and D sharp make the seventh chord, and the F sharp on top makes it a ninth. On a ukulele the fifth, B, is dropped: four strings hold four notes, and the fifth is the note the ear misses least.

It is the I chord of E major at its softest. E is famously the ukulele's awkward key, and the ninth is no exception: the four notes that make the chord only line up high on the neck, so the chord appears where a song in E wants one deliberate, glowing bar.

Emaj9 vs Emaj7

Emaj9 is Emaj7 with an F sharp added. The seventh already settles the chord; the ninth widens it into something that sounds arranged rather than strummed.

Both are honest work in E on a ukulele. If the reach to the 11th fret is too much, Emaj7 lower on the neck carries most of the same calm with one less note.

Emaj9 chord questions

Why does this page show only one shape?

Every combination of the four strings was checked, and only one keeps the notes that make Emaj9 itself inside a window a hand can cover. E chords sit awkwardly in gCEA tuning, and the ninth is the clearest example.

Why is the shape so high on the neck?

The four notes Emaj9 cannot lose only line up between the 8th and 11th frets. Lower positions always drop one of them.

Why is there no B in the chord?

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

What is the difference between Emaj9 and E9?

E9 has a D natural, the flat seventh, and pulls toward A. Emaj9 has a D sharp and stays put.

Where is Emaj9 used?

As the I chord of E major in jazz and soul, and in songs in E that want one wide, settled chord at the top of a phrase.