Emaj9 on the ukulele is a major 9th chord made from E, G#, B, D#, F#. Its first ukulele voicing is the movable voicing: G string at fret 9 (middle finger); C string at fret 8 (index finger); E string at fret 11 (little finger); A string at fret 9 (ring finger). Below you will find its notes and intervals, every usable voicing on the ukulele, the common mistakes players make with it and the keys and progressions where it belongs.
What notes are in the Emaj9 chord?
The Emaj9 chord is a major 9th chord, and its notes are fixed: E, G#, B, D#, F#. 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 E, so you can see the structure of Emaj9 at a glance. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of Emaj9 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| E | Root |
| G# | 3 |
| B | 5 |
| D# | 7 |
| F# | 9 |
The root is E, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Emaj9 are 3, 5, 7, 9. That combination is what makes Emaj9 sound the way it does: the intervals decide the colour, and the root decides the pitch. On the ukulele, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Emaj9 sounds smooth and spacious, the sound of jazz ballads, neo-soul and soft pop. The colour is strongest when all the notes ring clearly. A muted chord tone, especially the 3rd or the 7th where the chord has one, flattens the character of Emaj9 noticeably. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G#, B, D#, F# in Emaj9.
Comparing Emaj9 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, major 9th against dominant 9th: Emaj9 keeps the major 7th D#; the dominant 9th flattens it to D. The major 9th sounds dreamy; the dominant 9th sounds bluesy. Play both chords slowly, one after the other, and notice which note moves. Naming that note out loud while you play is the fastest way to learn the difference. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Emaj9.
How to play Emaj9 on ukulele
On the ukulele, Emaj9 has 2 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — E, G#, B, D#, F# — in a different place on the neck. There are 2 voicings listed for Emaj9 on the ukulele; learn the first, then add the others as you need them. 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.
Another way to play Emaj9 is the movable voicing, in around fret 8: G string at fret 9 (middle finger); C string at fret 8 (index finger); E string at fret 11 (little finger); A string at fret 9 (ring finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 8 to fret 11, 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 Emaj9 — E, G#, B, D#, F# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
For the barre chord, Emaj9 sits in around fret 8: G string at fret 8 (index finger); C string at fret 8 (index finger); E string open; A string at fret 9 (middle finger). It barres across strings 1 to 2 at fret 8 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 2 evenly at fret 8, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Emaj9 — E, G#, B, D#, F# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Emaj9 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 Emaj9 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Emaj9 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Emaj9 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, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G#, B, D#, F# in Emaj9.
A short practice routine for Emaj9 on the ukulele: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above E 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 Emaj9 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 Emaj9 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.
Crowding five notes. Five notes need space. Drop the 5th (B) and spread the rest across octaves so the 9th F# can ring. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G#, B, D#, F# in Emaj9.
Playing it too fast. Emaj9 is a slow chord. At a fast tempo its colour gets lost; give each note time to sound. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Emaj9.
Forgetting the 9th. Without F# this is just a major 7th chord. The 9th is the note that makes it a 9th. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of Emaj9 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Pressing too hard on the nylon strings. Ukulele strings need far less pressure than guitar strings, and pressing hard on Emaj9 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 Emaj9 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Where Emaj9 is used
Emaj9 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 E major, the key of A major, the key of B major. a tonic chord in jazz and neo-soul, where the 9th adds width without tension. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward A major, the key a perfect fourth above E, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Emaj9 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the ukulele, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Emaj9.
Because Emaj9 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 E 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 Emaj9 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of Emaj9 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Emaj9 on guitar, Emaj9 on piano, Emaj9 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the E major scale and the E minor pentatonic scale. Learning Emaj9 on the ukulele and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — E, G#, B, D#, F# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Emaj9
A short worked example makes Emaj9 concrete. Play the four-chord progression A – E – F#m – D in A major, the key Emaj9 most often resolves toward: A – E – F#m – D. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Emaj9 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 Emaj9 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the ukulele, the movable voicing of Emaj9 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
For a second exercise, play Emaj9 and then the chord a fourth above E, 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 Emaj9 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Emaj9 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: E, G#, B, D#, F#. 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 voicing is the place to hear it in Emaj9.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest voicing of Emaj9 on the ukulele?
The movable voicing is the easiest voicing listed for Emaj9 on the ukulele: frets 9–8–11–9, fingers 2–1–4–3. 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 Emaj9?
Emaj9 contains E, G#, B, D#, F#: root E, major 3rd G#, perfect 5th B, major 7th D# and the 9th F#. It is a major 7th chord with the 9th added on top. On the ukulele, check the first voicing above for that note.
Is Emaj9 a major chord?
Yes — a major 9th chord, built on a major triad with a major 7th and a 9th. It sounds major, lush and dreamy, and it works as a tonic chord. On the ukulele, check the first voicing above for that note.
What is the difference between Emaj9 and Emaj7?
Emaj9 adds the 9th F# 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 Emaj9 on the ukulele?
The first voicing is the movable voicing: frets 9–8–11–9, fingers 2–1–4–3, on the ukulele. That voicing uses the notes E, G#, B, D#, F#, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Emaj9, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.