Arpeggio quality

6/9

The 6/9 chord stacks a major sixth and a major ninth on top of the major triad, and omits the seventh entirely. The result is lush, sophisticated and completely settled — a favourite ending chord in bossa nova, soul and jazz ballads. Because the ninth is the second degree an octave up, the whole quality fits neatly under the fingers in one position, which is why it is often the first five-note arpeggio players learn. There is no tritone and no leading tone, so it never demands resolution. Listen for the bell-like top note: the ninth is what turns a plain major chord into a colour.