How to Build Dominant 9th Chords on Guitar

C9-arpeggio-fi

Dominant 9th chords are common guitar chords found in jazz and blues.   Some rock and country styles also make use of these chords. Given their widespread use, it’s important to know how to play them.

In this tutorial, we will look at the basics of how to build dominant 9th chords and play them.

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What’s the Difference Between Dominant 7th and Major 7th Chords?

Bbmaj7fi

In this tutorial, we will look at the difference between the major 7th chord and the dominant 7th chord and how to play them on guitar.

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How Major Chords are Built on Guitar Part 2

C major triads on strings 6-4

Now that you know how major chords are built, we will look at how to apply the formulas to actual chord fingerings on the guitar.
Major chords are built by taking the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes from the major scale.

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How Major Chords are Built on Guitar Part 1

how major chords are built on guitar - c major scale

A triad is a chord that contains three different notes.

To understand how chords are built, we return to the major scale.

Take the first, third and fifth notes from the C major scale and you will have a C major chord.

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What is a Sus 4 Chord and How is it Played on Guitar?

D sus 4 guitar chord fingering diagram

You’ve probably seen the chord symbol D sus 4 in many popular guitar songs. But what does this really mean?

Let’s start by looking at what a chord really is.

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Can Guitar Music Theory Destroy Music for Pleasure?

If you really understand guitar music theory and how to apply music theory to guitar, are you forced to analyze everything you listen to, or can you shut it off whenever you want?

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Busting the Guitar Music Theory Myth: If I Learn Too Much Theory, It Will Cramp My Style and Creativity

myth buster

This is one of the biggest myths in music.

Some guitarists use it as an excuse for being lazy, while others genuinely believe that learning guitar music theory will somehow stifle their creativity and destroy their style and originality. It’s time for the truth…

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