Today’s featured chord is a bright-sounding major 6/9 chord. You can play it instead of a standard major chord to give your chord progressions a beautiful, Django Reinhardt-style gypsy jazz sound.
We've provided an example chord progression for you to play, so you can try out the chord in context. (You can listen to this progression being played below.)
A word of warning: this 6/9 shape isn’t a particularly easy chord to play, and if you’re not used to playing complex jazz chords, you may find it quite challenging at first!
Try this Bb 6/9 chord for yourself – if you like it, use it in your own songs!
Major 6/9 Chord
A major 6/9 chord is a major triad with added sixth and ninth notes. Therefore, a B flat 6/9 chord has a Bb major triad (Bb, D, and F), with an added 6th (E) and added 9th (C).
Notes in a B Flat 6/9 Chord
- Root: B flat
- (Major) Third: D
- (Perfect) Fifth: F
- Sixth: E
- Ninth: C
As with most guitar chords, the note order in this particular 6/9 chord shape is somewhat jumbled, with the notes appearing in this order: Root, Third, Sixth, Ninth, Fifth, Root.
How To Play This B Flat 6/9 Chord
If you’re not used to playing jazz chords, then this chord shape might be a bit of a challenge at first.
You’ll be making not one, but two barres: one with the first (index) finger, and one with the third (ring) finger.
If you can’t get all of the strings to ring clearly at first, then persevere: making half-barres with the ring finger is a relatively common technique in jazz rhythm guitar playing.
At first, play each of the strings individually to make sure they’re all ringing and not being dampened by another finger. Make small adjustments as necessary, and to build your muscle memory so that playing this chord and others like it eventually becomes second nature.
Here's the chord written in TAB:
Once you can play the chord reliably, try it with the chord sequence below (and then in your own songs!)
This chord is a movable, or transposable shape, which means that it can be used in different fretboard positions to play major 6/9 chords with other root notes.
For example, slide this chord down a fret to play an A major 6/9 chord, or slide it up 2 frets to play a C major 6/9 chord.
Example Chord Sequence With A Bb 6/9 Chord
The major 6/9 chord shape in this article is particularly effective when used as the final chord of a piece, which is how we’ve used it in the example progression below. Play the chord slightly arpeggiated for maximum effect!
Below is a typical I vi ii 7 jazz vamp that ends on the featured Bb 6/9 chord.
You can listen to this progression being played below:
Further Reading
If you enjoyed learning this chord, try playing this chord: C Maj9 Guitar Chord
Learn to play more chords in this series
Discover the music theory behind guitar chords: Guitar Chord Theory
