In today’s lesson, we’ll be learning how to play the minor ninth chord.
Quick Notes On The Major Ninth Chord
Let’s get started by expounding on the following terms:
- Major
- Ninth
- Chord
The Term Major – Explained
Musical elements (scales, intervals, chords, chord progressions, etc.) have either of these two distinct characters:
Major
Minor
The term major here is used to qualify the chord of the first degree in the major key. For example, in the key of C major:
…where the first degree of scale is C:
Chords that are founded on C:
…have the same major quality with the key.
The C major ninth chord:
…is qualified as a major chord because the interval between its first and third tones (which are C and E):
…is a major [third] interval.
“In A Nutshell…”
Beyond the relationship with the major key, the term major is used to qualify any chord that has a major third interval between its first and third tones.
The Term Ninth – Explained
Music scholars use ordinal numbers like first, second, third, etc., to quantify the size of a chord or interval. For example, the term ninth is used to quantify an interval or chord that encompasses nine degrees of a given scale.
The C major ninth chord:
…is qualified as a ninth and this is because it encompasses nine degrees of the C natural major scale:
…from C to D:
The Term Chord – Explained
A chord is a collection of three or more related notes (agreeable or not), that can be played/heard together.
The C major ninth chord:
…consists of 5 notes that are related by a given scale and a class of harmony. The notes of the C major ninth chord are the first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth tones of the C natural major scale:
…which is the given scale. Also, it is important to note that the distance between successive notes in the C major ninth chord is in third intervals.
C to E:
…is a third interval, E to G:
…is a third interval, G to B:
…is a third interval, and so is B to D:
“Alright…”
Putting it all together, the major ninth chord can be defined as a collection of related notes (chord), encompassing nine degrees of the scale (ninth), that have a major quality (major.)
