Chords
D Sixth added ninth
D · F# · A · B · E
The 6/9 chord — a major triad with both a sixth and a ninth, and no seventh at all.
Also written D6add9 · D69 · DM69
D Sixth added ninth
D · F# · A · B · E
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | D3 · F#3 · A3 · B3 · E4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | B2 · D3 · F#3 · A3 · E4 | |
| Shell | D3 · F#3 · B3 | |
| Rootless | F#3 · A3 · B#3 · E4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
D Sixth added ninth (D6/9) contains the notes D · F# · A · B · E, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of D Sixth added ninth puts a chord tone other than D in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales D Sixth added ninth belongs to.
In which keys
D Sixth added ninth is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
- G majorV6/9Dominant
- E minorVII6/9Subdominant
- D majorI6/9Tonic
- B minorIII6/9Tonic
- A majorIV6/9Subdominant
- F# minorVI6/9Subdominant
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
D Sixth added ninth fits inside these scales, each built on D.
- D Major BluesD · E · F · F# · A · B
- D MajorD · E · F# · G · A · B · C#
- D LydianD · E · F# · G# · A · B · C#
- D MixolydianD · E · F# · G · A · B · C
- D Lydian DominantD · E · F# · G# · A · B · C
- D BebopD · E · F# · G · A · B · C · C#
- D Bebop MinorD · E · F · F# · G · A · B · C
- D Bebop MajorD · E · F# · G · A · A# · B · C#
Understanding the D Sixth added ninth chord
Names and symbols
D6/9 is the chord symbol for D Sixth added ninth; it is also written D6add9, D69, DM69.
6add9, 6/9 and 69 all mean the sixth chord with an added ninth; the slash in 6/9 is not a bass note.
How it is built
On D it is D · F# · A · B · E, stacking 1P · 3M · 5P · 6M · 9M. Two added colour tones, no seventh, so nothing in the chord pulls anywhere.
How it is used
It is the most restful rich chord there is: complex enough to sound deliberate, stable enough to end on. Bossa nova and West Coast jazz close on it constantly, and guitarists reach for it as the final chord of a ballad.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in D6/9?
- D6/9 contains D · F# · A · B · E. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- Why is a 6/9 chord so stable?
- It has no seventh and therefore no tritone. Both added notes are consonant, so the chord is coloured without being directional.
- Where is 6/9 used?
- As a final chord in bossa nova, jazz ballads and West Coast writing, where it sounds finished without sounding plain.
- What notes are in the D Sixth added ninth chord?
- The D Sixth added ninth chord contains the notes D · F# · A · B · E: the root D with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 6M, 9M stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally D, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the D Sixth added ninth chord?
- Measured from D, the D Sixth added ninth chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 6M, 9M. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.