Am9? Help, please

[pootsie]

None of my chord charts have Am9 on them, and the inturwebz are of no help right now.

Can someone tell me the various fingerings for Am9?

Thanks much

 

[Huckleberry]

Am9 is 2002 or 4453

 

[pootsie]

Thanks. I assume you are listing strings in order AECG? I think some of the trouble I am having is people being inconsistent in string numbering.

 

[Sarah Maisel]

A simple way to figure it out would be- play a regular Am chord, then think about what the 9th note in the scale degree would be. Have I lost you? No worries... Here's what I mean

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
A B C D E F G A B C D etc....

So the note that is #9 is a B note- so you just need to add a B note to your chord.

SO the first easy place to play Am9 would be (starting with the G string) 2,0,0,2

Another place you could play it would be (starting with the g)
4,4,5,3
5,4,5,2

Is that a good place for you to start or do you need more Am9s?

I hope this helped!

-Sarah

 

[pootsie]

Wow, I did not expect help to come from such an incredible source!

I love your music, Sarah!

Thanks for the help!

 

[Sarah Maisel]

Wow, I did not expect help to come from such an incredible source!

I love your music, Sarah!

Thanks for the help!

Aw! You are too sweet! No worries- I'm always happy to answer chord questions.... I geek out on that kind of stuff.

Have a great day! And keep uke'n!

 

[Jim Hanks]

I like 4000 too (4 on the 'g' string) - same notes on reentrant as 2002 but different order

 

[The Great Bedini]

one i use, again, g string first, is 5777 it's also a sub for Cmaj7, transitions well to a dominant 9th chord or half diminished by raising the G string one fret. it does include the 7th in the chord, which I like

 

[Bill Mc]

one i use, again, g string first, is 5777 it's also a sub for Cmaj7, transitions well to a dominant 9th chord or half diminished by raising the G string one fret. it does include the 7th in the chord, which I like

Good distinction about the 7th included. As there is a difference between am add9, and am9. The latter chord should include the 7th. For me 2002 is am add 9. 0052 is nice for am9th as it includes the root, 3rd, 7th, and 9th.

 

[TheOnlyUkeThatMatters]

Am9 contains fives notes: A, C, E, G, & B. Ukes only have four strings, so we must drop a note to play this one. Some options:

2002 (no G---this chord is "A minor add 9", Sarah's post #4 chord, Jim's post #7 provides alternate voicing)
0002 (no A---leaving the root note to the imagination often works well in context)
2032 (no E---same notes as Bedini's post #8 barre chord and Bill's post #9 voicing)
2432 (no C---this will leave it to the listener to figure out it's a minor chord)
0000 (no B---this is Am7)

Your ears should help you find out which of these options (or which combination of these options) will work best in context. Strumming the open strings (playing Am7) and fretting the 2nd fret of the outer strings (for 0002 or 2000) as the mood strikes will play all the notes of Am9 without twisting up your fingers too badly. Have fun!

 

[pootsie]

Thanks, Ralf.

0002 works best for the song I am currently mangling.

 

[Contrails]

I always use this site when I am lost

http://ukebuddy.com/chord-finder

Works for me. And it works for C, D or baritone tunings too.

It has got scales as well which is great for someone like me

 

[Ken Middleton]

Am9 contains fives notes: A, C, E, G, & B. Ukes only have four strings, so we must drop a note to play this one. Some options:

2002 (no G---this chord is "A minor add 9", Sarah's post #4 chord, Jim's post #7 provides alternate voicing)
0002 (no A---leaving the root note to the imagination often works well in context)
2032 (no E---same notes as Bedini's post #8 barre chord and Bill's post #9 voicing)
2432 (no C---this will leave it to the listener to figure out it's a minor chord)
0000 (no B---this is Am7)

Your ears should help you find out which of these options (or which combination of these options) will work best in context. Strumming the open strings (playing Am7) and fretting the 2nd fret of the outer strings (for 0002 or 2000) as the mood strikes will play all the notes of Am9 without twisting up your fingers too badly. Have fun!

I completely agree. In any 9th chord, the 7th is normally added too.

If other people are playing with you, then 5 notes are not a problem. For instance, a bass can play the A (root note) while the uke plays the C E G and B. In reality this is a chord of Cmaj7. In other words the instruments "share out" the notes of the chord, just like the horn section of a bog band would do or the string section of an orchestra.

However, I generally play solo. So another alternative is to keep changing position of the chord, every beat, for instance. In this way, all the notes of the chord can be played somewhere in the bar. This has the added advantage of keeping your left hand part interesting rather than just staying where it is until the chord needs to change.

 

[Louis0815]

http://ukulelehelper.com lists a total of 11 variants for Am9 (all GCEA):
2032
0052
0070
4030
5770
0-11-8-0
4753
4780
12-11-8-0
0-11-8-12
12-11-8-12

One of these should fit your purpose....