How to play D♭ minor major 9 chord on guitar
Shape 9ba9xb
Shape characteristics
Closed voicing
Every sounding string is fretted, with no open strings. Tight, controllable tone that responds well to palm muting and dynamic picking.
Upper register · fret 9-11
Brighter, more focused tone with less low-end. Works well when layering over a bassist or second guitar, and integrates naturally with lead-line phrasing higher on the neck.
Five-string voicing
One string muted. Keeps a full low end without overlapping awkwardly with a bassist or second guitar.
Bass: D♭ · Top: E♭
The root is in the bass, so the chord sounds grounded and stable. This is the natural starting voicing for most progressions.
Compared to Shape 9ba99b , this voicing adds 1 more ringing string for a fuller sound.
How to play this shape
- 1 Place the 1st finger on the 9th fret of the 3rd string and 6th string in barre position
- 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 10th fret of the 4th string
- 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 11th fret of the 5th string
- 4 Place the 4th finger on the 11th fret of the 1st string
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "9ba9xb" mean?
The sequence 9ba9xb is a highly compact guitar chord notation. It represents the fret played on each of the 6 strings, reading left-to-right from the thickest (lowest pitch) string to the thinnest (highest pitch) string: E, A, D, G, B, e.
- x means the string is muted or skipped entirely.
- 0 means the string is played "open" (without pressing over a fret).
- 1-9 represent standard fret numbers 1 to 9.
- a, b, c... represent frets 10, 11, 12, and higher (where a=10, b=11, c=12).
Can I play this D♭ minor major 9 shape anywhere else?
Yes! This specific layout is just one way to voice a D♭ minor major 9 chord. You can find all other variations in our chord shape library for D♭ minor major 9. Most guitarists choose different shapes based on whether they want a "brighter" or "deeper" sound, or which chord they are transitioning from.
Why do some strings have an 'x'?
Strings marked with an 'x' should not ring out. These notes are excluded because they don't belong to the D♭ minor major 9 chord or would clash with this specific voicing. You can mute these strings by lightly touching them with a finger that is already pressing a neighboring fret.
Other shapes
Showing 8 of 9 playable shapes