G Major 9th

Symbols:GM9, GMaj9, Gmaj9
Scale Degree Formula:1-3-5-7-9
Interval Stack:M3 + m3 + M3 + m3
Notes:G, B, D, F#, A
Hear this chord:▸ Guitar
Inversions:GM9/B, GM9/D, GM9/F#, GM9/A

Construction

Using the scale degree formula, we first start with the G major scale, and number each note in the scale starting from 1 - these are the scale degrees. Next, we use the scale degree formula, in this case 1-3-5-7-9, to select notes from our enumerated scale. When a chord requires notes that are not in the scale, this is indicated with a flat (♭) or a sharp (#) along with the scale degree; a ♭3, for instance, would be one half-step down from the 3rd scale degree.
Alternatively, we can use the interval stack to construct our chord. With this approach, we first start with the lowest note of the chord (G), then move our first interval (M3), which brings us to our second note in the chord (B). We repeatedly apply each of the remaining intervals in the stack to get the full list of notes for our chord.
The diagram below shows how both the scale degree formula and interval stack methods result in the same selection of notes:
G1G#♭2A2Bb♭3B3C4C#♭5D5D##5E6F♭7F#7G8G#♭9A9M3m3M3m3

Similar Chords

The following chords are similar to this chord and may be a suitable replacement in certain scenarios.

Chord TypeChords
Added 9thGadd9
Dominant 6thD7(6)
Dominant 7th Flat ThirteenthB7b13
Dominant 7th Sharp 9thB7#9
Dominant 7th Sharp Five Sharp 9thB7#5#9
Dominant 9thG9
Major 2ndG2
Major 6thDM6
Major 7thGM7
Major 7th Flat ThirteenthGMaj7b13
Major 9th Flat FifthGMaj9b5
Major Added 11thDadd11
Major EleventhGM11
Minor 7thBm7
Minor 7th Flat ThirteenthBm7b13
Minor 9thEm9, Bm9
Minor EleventhEm11
Minor Major 9thGmMaj9
Six-NineG6/9, D6/9

Associated Scales

This chord can be found in the following scales.

ScaleRoots
DorianE, A
Dorian b5A
Harmonic MajorG
LocrianF#, C#
Locrian bb7F#
LydianC, G
Lydian Augmented #2D#
Lydian b3C
MajorD, G
MinorE, B
MixolydianD, A
Mixolydian b2D
PhrygianF#, B
Phrygian b4B

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