Learn › Em9 Chord on Piano (E Minor 9th)
New Released in April 2026
Em9 Chord on Piano (E Minor 9th)
To play the Em9 chord on the piano, press E, G, B, D and F#. It is the minor seventh Em7 plus the 9th, F#. Expect a sound that is mellow and soulful, minor without sadness.
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- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
Where your hand goes for Em9
Each picture is still Em9. Move only the notes that must move.
Both hands: E D G B F#
Rootless, 3rd on the bottom: G B D F#
Rootless, 7th on the bottom: D F# G B
Left hand alone: E D
Hands and fingers
| Left hand | E D | 5 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Right hand | G B F# | 1 2 4 |
The chord hiding inside Em9
The four upper notes of Em9, G B D F#, are Gmaj7. Play E low and Gmaj7 above it: that is the whole Em9, and a quick way to reach it.
Building Em9 from Em7
Every chord is a recipe of scale steps. For Em9 the recipe is 1 b3 5 b7 9, counted from E.
Start chord: Em7
| Note | Step | Interval | Keys from E |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | 1 | root | 0 |
| G | b3 | minor 3rd | 3 |
| B | 5 | perfect 5th | 7 |
| D | b7 | minor 7th | 10 |
| F# | 9 | major 9th | 14 |
Practise Em9 in four steps
- Find E, then add the other notes one at a time: E, G, B, D and F#.
- Play Em7, then Em9, then Em7 again, and hear what the 9th adds to the minor seventh.
- Try Em9 in a rootless shape with the 3rd on the bottom, the position that sits closest to your last chord.
- Then test it in random order among other chords: recall under time pressure is what sticks.
Come back to Em9 tomorrow: short daily sessions beat one long one.
Keys and moves for Em9
- Em9 is the ii chord of D major and the vi chord of G major.
- In a ii-V-I it often opens the line: Em9 → A7 → Dmaj7.
Turn Em9 into a reflex
ChordRunner shows a chord symbol and you play it on a MIDI keyboard, a real piano through the microphone or the on-screen keys. Major and minor 9ths have their own level, "Ninth Chords".
Play the demoCommon questions
How do you play Em9 on the piano?
Press E, G, B, D and F# together. Left hand plays E D (fingers 5 and 1), right hand G B F# (1, 2, 4).
What is the difference between Em9 and Em7?
Em7 is E G B D. To get Em9, add F# above the minor seventh.
Where is Em9 used?
Em9 is the ii chord of D major and the vi chord of G major. In a ii-V-I it often opens the line: Em9 → A7 → Dmaj7.
Can I practise Em9 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 E, G, B, D and F# 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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