Ever tried to play a D9 chord and ended up with a muted mess of buzz and frustration?
You’re not alone.
The D9 is one of those chords that looks simple enough on paper… but the minute you try to get all five strings ringing clearly, things fall apart. Fingers get tangled, notes get choked out, and the whole thing just sounds off.
But when it does work? It’s one of the best-sounding chords in blues rhythm guitar. It adds flavor, punch, and a hint of jazz — and it fits beautifully into a 12-bar blues.
In this first lesson of the 9th Chord Bootcamp, I’ll show you:
✓ The exact finger positioning to play a clean D9 chord
✓ The #1 mistake that causes your 4th string to die out (and how to fix it)
✓ Why the D9 is really just a dressed-up D7 with a twist
✓ How to shape your hand and wrap your thumb for maximum control
Watch the full lesson below:
What Comes Next?
This is just lesson one of a 3-part mini-series. Click here for Lesson 2. In the next two videos, I’ll show you:
✓ How to use 9th chords in a 12-bar blues progression
✓ How to substitute them for your regular A7, D7, and E7 shapes
✓ A few cool tricks you can do with slides and embellishments to make your chords sound even smoother
If you want to go deeper into chords that actually sound like blues…
Ready to Go Deeper with Your Blues Chords?
If you’re enjoying this lesson and starting to see how much flavor a 9th chord can add to your playing… that’s just the beginning.
Inside my full course — Ultimate Blues Guitar: Stage 1 – Chords — we dig way deeper into the kinds of chords that actually sound like blues. You’ll learn how to use substitutions, embellishments, bar chords, triads, and more — all tied back to real 12-bar progressions and practical examples.
This isn’t just a list of chord shapes. It’s a complete system to help you understand how the chords work, so you can play them with confidence — and create your own sound.
Whether you’re playing solo or jamming with others, this course will give you:
✓ A rock-solid understanding of blues chord theory (without boring lectures)
✓ Over 400 useable chords and voicings — no memorization drills required
✓ Tricks for learning and remembering songs faster
✓ Tools to move past generic “cowboy chords” and into the real blues sound
👉 Click here to check out the full course and start building the kind of blues rhythm foundation your lead playing deserves.