G#maj9 Chord on Guitar
G#maj9 = G# – C – D# – G – A# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th, Major 9th)
G#maj9 takes the G#maj7 barre one step further, moving the high e string up two frets to add the ninth above the major seventh already present, the same construction that turns F#maj7 and Gmaj7 into their own maj9 versions lower on the neck.
G#-C-G-A#: root, major third, major seventh, and ninth, with the fifth dropped from this compact voicing to make room. The half-step seventh below the root paired with the whole-step ninth above it produces that dreamy, floating quality strongly associated with bossa nova and jazz balladry rather than plain major-key resolution. As I in G# major it's a rich tonic color, and it works equally well as a lush IVmaj9 substitute wherever a plain G#maj7 already fits a chart wanting extra shimmer.
Fingerings
Barre (4th fret)
How to Practice It
If G#maj7 is already solid, this is a single-string adjustment: move the high e-string finger up two frets from the root to the ninth, the identical physical motion that turns G#7 into G#9. Listen carefully to whether both the major seventh and ninth ring distinctly rather than blurring together.
Common Progressions
- G#maj9 – C# – G#maj9 (a static lush-tonic vamp in G# major)
- Fm9 – Bb7 – Ebm7 – G#maj9 (a jazz-tinged progression resolving into a rich IVmaj9-style color)
- G#maj9 – F# – C# (a bossa-nova-influenced descending color sequence)
- C# – G#maj9 (I – IVmaj9, softening the subdominant in C# major)
FAQ
- How does G#maj9 relate to G#maj7?
- It's built by taking the G#maj7 shape and raising the high e string two frets, from the root up to the ninth, while every other string stays on the same notes as the maj7 voicing.
- This voicing skips one chord tone — which one?
- The fifth (D#) gets left out; a genuine five-tone maj9 chord asks for more than six strings can comfortably supply once the root, third, seventh, and ninth are all accounted for, so the fifth is the note that goes.
- Why is G#maj9 linked so strongly to bossa nova and jazz?
- The combination of a major seventh and a ninth stacked above the triad creates a lush, unresolved-but-not-tense color that those genres lean on heavily for their floating, sophisticated texture.
- Is G#maj9 hard to play?
- Not if G#maj7 is already comfortable — it's the identical barre with one finger repositioned, so the physical demand barely increases even as the harmonic richness does.
- Is this chord sometimes labeled Abmaj9?
- Yes, in flat-key or jazz-standard charts, though the pitches and fingering are identical regardless of the spelling used.
G#maj9 on other instruments: G#maj9 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.