1. Home
  2. Chords
  3. E
  4. E Minor 9th

E Minor 9th (Em9)

Download MIDI
1+b3+5+b7+9
EGBDF#
4 4

Notes in E Minor 9th

E (root)GBDF#

Inversions

Same notes as E Minor 9th, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

E in the bass

EGBDF#

1st inversion

G in the bass (Em9/G)

GBDEF#

2nd inversion

B in the bass (Em9/B)

BDEGF#

3rd inversion

D in the bass (Em9/D)

DEGBF#

4th inversion

F# in the bass (Em9/F#)

EGBDF#

Open voicings

A close-position chord like E Minor 9th can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

D on the bottom

DEGBF#

Drop 3

B on the bottom

BEGDF#

Play E, G, B, D and F# together and you get E Minor 9th.

A minor seventh chord with a ninth added softens the mood even further into something smooth and atmospheric. Jazz, R&B and lo-fi styles all reach for it whenever a minor chord needs to feel rich rather than sparse.

Related chords

Em7E9Em11

Difficulty: Advanced. Category: Extended chords. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.