Yes, I said “Funk”.

Using ninth chords is a great way to add a little spice to your guitar beats. They have many uses, and once you learn them, they will quickly become a regular part of your game.

Let’s take a look at a common fingering pattern for a ninth chord that you can use to make things “funky.”

Below is an example of a “C” ninth chord that you can play right now.

E ———- 3 ———————-

B ———- 3 ———————-

G ———- 3 ———————-

D ———- 2 ———————-

A ———- 3 ———————-

E ———————————-

This chord is played with the second finger on the third fret of the fifth string, the first finger on the second fret of the fourth string, and the third finger will “sweep” the notes on the third fret of the first, second, and third. string instruments. The sixth string is not played or muted.

The note that is on the fifth string in this ninth chord fingering pattern is the root note. In the example above, the fifth string note is played at the third fret, which is a “C” note, making it a “C9th” chord.

You can simply slide this fingering pattern up and down the guitar neck to play it in any key that is determined by the root note located on the fifth string.

For example, if you slide this same pattern “up” two frets, the root note of the fifth string will be at the fifth fret, which is a “D” note, making the chord a “D9th” chord.

Ninth chords are used in many “funk” songs and here is a common example using the hit Wild Cherry “Play that funky music“.

      

E —- 7 ——– 7 — 6 — 7 ——– 9 — 8 — 7 —— 6 — 7 ——

B —- 7 ——– 7 — 6 — 7 ——– 9 — 8 — 7 —— 6 — 7 ——

G —- 7 ——– 7 — 6 — 7 ——– 9 — 8 — 7 —— 6 — 7 ——

D —- 6 ——– 6 — 5 — 6 ——– 8 — 7 — 6 —— 5 — 6 ——

A —- 7 ——– 7 — 6 — 7 ——– 9 — 8 — 7 —— 6 — 7 ——

E ————————————————- ————-

Although at first glance it may seem a bit complicated, it is actually quite easy. You’ll keep the same fingering pattern throughout the riff, and the chords just alternate around the same 4 frets, spanning between the 6th and 9th frets. A funky hand touch in combination with a bit of palm squelch really. will bring out the flavor.

Other use

Now you can see how the ninth chords are great for funk-type rhythms, but they can also be used effectively in blues progressions.

In a standard blues progression I, IV, V using all the seventh chords, you can try substituting the IV chord and the V chord with the ninth.

For example, in a blues progression in the key of “A”, using 7th chords would look like this:

A, D7, E7

In this case, you can substitute the IV chord (D7) and the V chord (E7) for ninths. The result would look like this:

A, D9, E9

Try playing both versions and see if you can hear the difference. This is a very common way to play a blues progression.

As you go on your guitar playing journey, be sure to include a ninth chord in your arsenal of weapons. After a while, you won’t be able to live without throwing a little funk!