G nine chordG9

Built from

• Groot
• Bmajor 3rd
• D5th
• Fflat 7th
• A9th

A dominant 7 with a 9th stacked on top: still restless, but richer.

Hear it in a progression

• ii–V–I

  The backbone of jazz. In C major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. Dm7ii7
  2. G9V7
  3. Cmaj7Imaj7
  4. Cmaj7Imaj7

• Blues opening

  The first four bars of a twelve-bar blues. In G major.

  Capo and transpose

  1. G9I9
  2. C7IV7
  3. G9I9
  4. G9I9

Where it goes next

Thinking in C major, where it is the V7 chord.

• Cmaj7

  Imaj7. The strongest pull in music: tension resolving home.

• Am7

  vi7. The fake-out: you expect home, you get the relative minor.

Sounds close

• Dm7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have D, F and A.

• Ddim7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have B, D and F.

• Em7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have G, B and D.

• B♭maj7

  Shares 3 of its notes. Both have D, F and A.

Scales that fit

Notes you can play over this chord, simplest first.

• G minor pentatonic
• G blues
• G mixolydian

Keys it lives in

• C majoras V7
• A minoras VII7