Map it slowly
Find C on string 6 at fret 8. Play string 6, fret 8; string 6, fret 10; string 6, fret 12; string 5, fret 10; string 4, fret 9. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · C△9 · Guitar
C△9 arpeggio on guitar
The C△9 arpeggio is C – E – G – B – D — chord tones 1 3 5 7 9. C△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads; its sound is wide, luminous. Below, every C, E, G, B, D on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
C△9 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 8. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make C Major 9th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play C – E – G – B – D in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from E, wrapping back to C. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate E and B above a sustained C. These are degree 3 and 7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: C△9 has the colour “wide, luminous”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
C△9: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives C△9 its identity?
The ninth adds colour above a major-seventh foundation. Separate the upper voice from the bass and compare close and open spacing.
Here the third is E, and degree 7 is B. Play C in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try E – G – B – C as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with C on string 6, fret 8. The next note E is on string 6, fret 10. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: C · E · G · B · D. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
C△9 on the keyboard.
Reference
C△9 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from C |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | E | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | G | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 7 | B | major 7th (11 semitones) |
| 9 | D | major 9th (14 semitones) |
Goes with: C Major (Ionian) (C D E F G A B). Voicings: see the four-note chord voicings in the chord library.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the C△9 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
C△9 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a C△9 arpeggio?
C – E – G – B – D. As chord tones: 1 3 5 7 9. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a C△9 chord used for?
C△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads. Its character is wide, luminous.
Which scale goes with C△9?
C Major (C D E F G A B) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the C△9 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root C on the low E string at fret 8 and play E-string fret 8, E-string fret 10, E-string fret 12, A-string fret 10, D-string fret 9, D-string fret 10. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Major 9th arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Major 9th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from C