To play Dmaj9 on the ukulele, you need the notes D, F#, A, C#, E. Its first ukulele voicing is the movable voicing: G string at fret 7 (ring finger); C string at fret 6 (middle finger); E string open; A string at fret 4 (index finger). This guide covers the major 9th chord in full: what is in it, how to play it cleanly on the ukulele, where it fits musically and how to practise it.
What notes are in the Dmaj9 chord?
The Dmaj9 chord is a major 9th chord, and its notes are fixed: D, F#, A, C#, E. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root D, so you can see the structure of Dmaj9 at a glance. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Dmaj9.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| D | Root |
| F# | 3 |
| A | 5 |
| C# | 7 |
| E | 9 |
The root is D, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Dmaj9 are 3, 5, 7, 9. Once you know the intervals, you can build Dmaj9 from any root by counting the same semitone steps, which is how the chord works in every key. On the ukulele, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Dmaj9 sounds lush, dreamy and wide open — the major 9th is one of the prettiest chords in popular music. Listen for that character when you play it — if Dmaj9 does not sound that way, one of the notes is probably wrong, and the table above is the place to check. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Dmaj9.
Comparing Dmaj9 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, major 9th against dominant 9th: Dmaj9 keeps the major 7th C#; the dominant 9th flattens it to C. The major 9th sounds dreamy; the dominant 9th sounds bluesy. Hearing the comparison matters more than reading it: play Dmaj9, then play the chord it is compared with above, and let your ear find the note that changed. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of Dmaj9 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
How to play Dmaj9 on ukulele
On the ukulele, Dmaj9 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — D, F#, A, C#, E — in a different place on the neck. Start with the first voicing and get it clean before you try the movable shapes further up the neck. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
The movable voicing is the voicing to learn if you want Dmaj9 in around fret 4: G string at fret 7 (ring finger); C string at fret 6 (middle finger); E string open; A string at fret 4 (index finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 4 to fret 7, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Dmaj9 — D, F#, A, C#, E — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play Dmaj9 is the movable voicing, in around fret 6: G string at fret 7 (middle finger); C string at fret 6 (index finger); E string at fret 9 (little finger); A string at fret 7 (ring finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 6 to fret 9, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Dmaj9 — D, F#, A, C#, E — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing is the voicing to learn if you want Dmaj9 in around fret 5: G string at fret 6 (middle finger); C string at fret 6 (middle finger); E string open; A string at fret 5 (index finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 5 to fret 6, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Dmaj9 — D, F#, A, C#, E — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Dmaj9 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide Dmaj9 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Dmaj9 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Dmaj9 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Dmaj9.
A short practice routine for Dmaj9 on the ukulele: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above D and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Ukulele Chord Finder to see the diagram for Dmaj9 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Dmaj9 sound wrong on the ukulele, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Pressing too hard on the nylon strings. Ukulele strings need far less pressure than guitar strings, and pressing hard on Dmaj9 pulls the notes sharp and tires the hand. Use the lightest touch that gives a clean note, and keep your fingers close to the frets. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of Dmaj9 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Flattening the 7th. If the 7th is C instead of C#, the chord becomes a dominant 9th with a different function. Keep the 7th major. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Dmaj9.
Crowding five notes. Five notes need space. Drop the 5th (A) and spread the rest across octaves so the 9th E can ring. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Dmaj9.
Playing it too fast. Dmaj9 is a slow chord. At a fast tempo its colour gets lost; give each note time to sound. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of Dmaj9 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Where Dmaj9 is used
Dmaj9 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of D major, the key of G major, the key of A major. the I or IV chord in major keys, the richest-sounding tonic colour available. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward G major, the key a perfect fourth above D, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Dmaj9 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes D, F#, A, C#, E in Dmaj9.
Because Dmaj9 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain D triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try Dmaj9 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes D, F#, A, C#, E in Dmaj9.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Dmaj9 on guitar, Dmaj9 on piano, Dmaj9 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the D major scale and the D minor pentatonic scale. Learning Dmaj9 on the ukulele and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — D, F#, A, C#, E — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Dmaj9
A short worked example makes Dmaj9 concrete. Play the four-chord progression G – D – Em – C in G major, the key Dmaj9 most often resolves toward: G – D – Em – C. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Dmaj9 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on Dmaj9 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes D, F#, A, C#, E in Dmaj9.
For a second exercise, play Dmaj9 and then the chord a fourth above D, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move Dmaj9 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Dmaj9 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: D, F#, A, C#, E. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of Dmaj9 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Dmaj9 and Dmaj7?
Dmaj9 adds the 9th E to the major 7th chord. That extra note widens the sound and makes the chord feel more open and spacious. On the ukulele, check the first voicing above for that note.
How do you play Dmaj9 on the ukulele?
The first voicing is the movable voicing: frets 7–6–0–4, fingers 3–2–0–1, on the ukulele. That voicing uses the notes D, F#, A, C#, E, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Dmaj9, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Dmaj9 hard to play on the ukulele?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Dmaj9 on the ukulele is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of Dmaj9 on the ukulele?
The movable voicing is the easiest voicing listed for Dmaj9 on the ukulele: frets 7–6–0–4, fingers 3–2–0–1. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.
What notes are in Dmaj9?
Dmaj9 contains D, F#, A, C#, E: root D, major 3rd F#, perfect 5th A, major 7th C# and the 9th E. It is a major 7th chord with the 9th added on top. On the ukulele, check the first voicing above for that note.