Chord Shapes

Minor 9th

Intervals: 1-b3-5-b7-9. A staple minor extension. Compared with m7, adding the 9th softens and enriches the sound, making it especially suitable for ii chords (e.g. Dm9 in a ii–V–I) and tonic or subdominant minors in ballads. In Dorian or melodic-minor modal settings, m9 can act as a stable tonic chord for long vamps; the 9th often appears in the melody, giving a plaintive, singing quality. Players frequently omit the 5th in voicings and treat b3-b7-9 as the core shell. It is less dense than m11 or m13 but still clearly more colourful than a plain m7.