Map it slowly
Find D on string 5 at fret 5. Play string 5, fret 5; string 5, fret 7; string 5, fret 9; string 4, fret 7; string 3, fret 6. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · D△9 · Guitar
D△9 arpeggio on guitar
The D△9 arpeggio is D – F♯ – A – C♯ – E — chord tones 1 3 5 7 9. D△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads; its sound is wide, luminous. Below, every D, F♯, A, C♯, E on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
D△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 5. 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 D Major 9th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play D – F♯ – A – C♯ – E in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from F♯, wrapping back to D. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate F♯ and C♯ above a sustained D. These are degree 3 and 7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: D△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
D△9: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives D△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 F♯, and degree 7 is C♯. Play D in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try F♯ – A – C♯ – D 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 D on string 5, fret 5. The next note F♯ is on string 5, fret 7. 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: D · F♯ · A · C♯ · E. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
D△9 on the keyboard.
Reference
D△9 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from D |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | F♯ | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | A | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 7 | C♯ | major 7th (11 semitones) |
| 9 | E | major 9th (14 semitones) |
Goes with: D Major (Ionian) (D E F♯ G A B C♯). Voicings: see the four-note chord voicings in the chord library.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the D△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
D△9 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a D△9 arpeggio?
D – F♯ – A – C♯ – E. As chord tones: 1 3 5 7 9. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a D△9 chord used for?
D△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads. Its character is wide, luminous.
Which scale goes with D△9?
D Major (D E F♯ G A B C♯) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the D△9 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root D on the A string at fret 5 and play A-string fret 5, A-string fret 7, A-string fret 9, D-string fret 7, G-string fret 6, G-string fret 7. 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 D