Chord · B Major 9th
Bmaj9 Chord
Bmaj9 is B, D#, F#, A# and C# — lush, gentle; jazz ballads and neo-soul.
Bmaj9 on every instrument
The same 5 notes, 3 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Bmaj9 is made of
Bmaj9 (B major ninth) is built from the notes B, D#, F#, A#, C#, with the interval pattern 1, 3, 5, 7, 9.
Stack 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 on a root of B and you get B, D#, F#, A# and C#. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a major ninth chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cmaj9 sounds like a transposed Bmaj9.
Major 9th: Lush, gentle; jazz ballads and neo-soul.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with D♯ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Bmaj9
All 5 notes sit inside the scale of 8 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Other chords on B
Same root, different colour.
The same major ninth shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Bmaj9
- What notes are in the Bmaj9 chord?
- Bmaj9 is made of B, D#, F#, A# and C# — the 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 degrees of a major ninth chord built on B.
- What keys use the Bmaj9 chord?
- Every note of Bmaj9 belongs to 8 keys: B Major (I), F# Major (IV), Gb Major (IV), Cb Major (I), G# Minor (III), D# Minor (VI), Eb Minor (VI), Ab Minor (III). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Bmaj9 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Bmaj9 on guitar, piano and ukulele — 6 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Bmaj9 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.