Learn › D9 Chord on Piano (D Dominant 9th)
New Released in April 2026
D9 Chord on Piano (D Dominant 9th)
To play the D9 chord on the piano, press D, F#, A, C and E. It is the dominant seventh D7 plus the 9th, E. Its sound: rich and funky, a seventh chord with more colour.
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- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
D9 and F#m7b5
Above the root D sit four notes that form F#m7b5: F# A C E. A pianist can play D with the left hand and F#m7b5 with the right, and the result is D9.
How D9 is built
Start from D7, which you may already know, and change one thing: add E above the seventh.
Start chord: D7
| Note | Step | Interval | Keys from D |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | 1 | root | 0 |
| F# | 3 | major 3rd | 4 |
| A | 5 | perfect 5th | 7 |
| C | b7 | minor 7th | 10 |
| E | 9 | major 9th | 14 |
D9 in every position
Learn them in pairs: root position first, then the one that keeps the most notes still.
Both hands: D C F# A E
Rootless, 3rd on the bottom: F# A C E
Rootless, 7th on the bottom: C E F# A
Left hand alone: D C
Hands and fingers
| Left hand | D C | 5 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Right hand | F# A E | 1 2 4 |
A short D9 routine
- Find D, then add the other notes one at a time: D, F#, A, C and E.
- Play D7, then D9, then D7 again, and hear what the 9th adds to the seventh.
- Alternate root position and a rootless shape with the 3rd on the bottom, keeping shared notes still.
- Last, meet D9 mixed with chords you already know, in an order you did not plan.
Come back to D9 tomorrow: short daily sessions beat one long one.
When to play D9
- D9 is the V chord of G major: it pulls home to G.
- Many pianists play D9 whenever D7 appears, because the 9th makes the same pull sound richer.
Turn D9 into a reflex
Chord symbols arrive one after another and the game checks every note you play, with MIDI or the microphone. Dominant 9ths appear in the later boss challenges, next to major and minor 9ths.
Play the demoCommon questions
What notes are in the D9 chord?
D9 has 5 notes: D, F#, A, C and E. Formula 1 3 5 b7 9.
What is the difference between D9 and D7?
D7 is D F# A C. To get D9, add E above the seventh.
Where is D9 used?
D9 is the V chord of G major: it pulls home to G. Many pianists play D9 whenever D7 appears, because the 9th makes the same pull sound richer.
Can I practise D9 with a MIDI keyboard or a real piano?
Yes. In ChordRunner a USB MIDI keyboard is detected automatically, and an acoustic or digital piano works through the microphone. The game checks that D, F#, A, C and E sound together.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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