A Minor 9th Chord | Exotic, Sultry And A Pinky Stretcher

Is Am9 A Cool Chord or What?

I’m a sucker for exotic sultry chords. The A minor 9 sounds like something from a dreamy altered universe. When I play it in a chord progression like the one I’ve included in the lesson it conjures up images of traveling through exotic lands.

If that’s not enough to learn the Am9 chord… it also makes a great pinky stretching and strengthening exercise.

Stretching Your Pinky

For most beginners (and even some veterans) stretching the pinky onto the 4th fret can be quite a feat. Even if you think it difficult now, know that if you are persistent someday it will seem easy.

If you’re not accustomed to using your pinky I would strongly recommend you start practicing an exercise like my Speed Developer # 2 exercise. This will help you to both strengthen your pinky and toughen up the skin on the pad of your finger so it doesn’t hurt so much.

Keep doing it a little every day as a warm-up exercise. At the same time you can keep working on the A minor 9 chord. You’ll find that it will get easier and easier.