How to Play C9 on Piano

The C Dominant 9th chord sounds rich and funky. It stacks 5 notes: C – E – G – Bb – D.

A dominant seventh with the ninth stacked above it. It keeps the seventh chord tension and adds colour over the top.

Notes in C9

NoteIntervalFinger
CC4Root1
EE4Major 3rd2
GG4Perfect 5th3
BbBb4Minor 7th4
DD5Major 9th5

How to Play

Right Hand

Place your thumb (finger 1) on C. Spread your fingers across all 5 notes, one finger per key.

Where it sits

One note of this chord (Bb) is on black keys, so play it a little further back on the keys than an all-white shape.

Press all 5 keys at the same time. Keep your wrist relaxed and your fingers curved. The blue dots on the piano below show exactly which keys to press — they turn green when you play the right note.

Other Dominant 9th Chords

Db9
Db – F – Ab – Cb – Eb
D9
D – F# – A – C – E
Eb9
Eb – G – Bb – Db – F
E9
E – G# – B – D – F#
F9
F – A – C – Eb – G
F#9
F# – A# – C# – E – G#
G9
G – B – D – F – A
Ab9
Ab – C – Eb – Gb – Bb
A9
A – C# – E – G – B
Bb9
Bb – D – F – Ab – C
B9
B – D# – F# – A – C#

Other C Chords

C6
C – E – G – A
C7
C – E – G – Bb
C
C – E – G
Cm
C – Eb – G
Cmaj7
C – E – G – B
Cm7
C – Eb – G – Bb
Cdim
C – Eb – Gb
Caug
C – E – G#
Csus2
C – D – G
Csus4
C – F – G
Cdim7
C – Eb – Gb – Bbb
Cm6
C – Eb – G – A
Cadd9
C – E – G – D