Aeolian Scale - Sinister Minister

Hi,

Practicing scales can be a boring process but if it is musical, you can enjoy the exercise.

When you practice this tune Sinister Minister by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (Victor Wooten), you are actually practicing the Aeolian Scale too.

You can either pluck or thumb. The x is the mute which gives the groovy feel.

Give it a try.

Cheers!

FretWraps - GRUV GEAR

Most of us bassists who watched Victor Wooten talks about using the hair tie to mute the string would probably borrow one from our female friend or spouse to give it a try.

Now with the Fretwraps by GRUV GEAR, we can save the trouble and get a better control of our playing. This adjustable strap dampen the string and cut away unwanted ringing. Definitely worth get one especially if you are into tapping.

Give it a try!

Keys to Improvise

Hi,

I probably copy this from somewhere when I was doing my research on improvisation some years ago. Check it out.

1. Listen to what you want to learn (genre).
2. Learn the melody.
3. Play the 3rd, 5th, 7th of every chord - don't start on the root note.
4. Transcribe a solo or melodic fragments, Learn or transcribe all or part of a solo. Pick one that is attractive to ear and playable.
5. Soloing is a language, just like talking. Let the music breathe.

Hope this is helpful.

Blue Bossa Feel

Hi,

This is a simple ii V I exercise in key of D with a Blue Bossa Feel.

You can repeat this loop again and again. This exercise uses a lot of 5th.

Go listen to the actual Blue Bossa and check out the actual chord progression and practice it.

It will be something like this: Cm7 Fm7 Dm7(b5) G7 Cm7 and etc.

Have Fun!

Circuit Breaker Instrument Cable

The circuit breaker instrument cable by Planet Waves is very useful. Before using this cable, whenever I need to plug out to check my tuning (not using clip on), I need to turn off the volume and on it again when ready. With the circuit breaker, just press the button and it will cut the signal.

Also "Planet Waves Cables utilize the latest technologies to ensure low capacitance and impenetrable shielding. Lower cable capacitance allows your instrument's brilliance, presence and character to be transmitted to the amp ensuring that the signal going into the cable comes out of the cable with the utmost transparency."

Forgetting the technical terms, this cable helps to give a good tone.
If you are looking for new cables, why not give this a try. You may like it.

Diatonic Chords Walk Down

Hi,

An exercise to help practice our Arpeggio but in a more interesting way.

We will walk down the diatonic chords in a C major scale in the 5713 pattern.

I resolved back to the C note when we reached the first few frets.

You can practice walking up and changing the pattern as well.

This is a good way to expand our solo capabilities too.

Have fun!

BeatBuddy: Revolutionary new pedal for bassists

Hi, a new pedal is launching and I think this will help us bassists. Support the product! Check out the demo video at http://mybeatbuddy.com.

Check out the press release:

Miami Beach, FL (Dec. 16, 2013) -- It is a rare occurrence that a company releases a musical device that is truly innovative and grants musicians previously unobtainable abilities. Singular Sound announces the launch of their crowdfunding campaign to begin the production of the BeatBuddy -- the first guitar pedal drum machine.  

“Drummers are hard to come by, and drum sets are even harder to carry,” said David Packouz, Founder, “and drum machines are practically useless for jamming or live performance. The BeatBuddy is the first product to solve this fundamental problem. It's the power of a drum machine, but the simplicity of a pedal.”

Features of the BeatBuddy include:

• Hands-free live control of the beat: Inserts fills, transitions from verse to chorus, adds accent hits (e.g. cymbal crashes or hand claps)

• Pre-loaded with 10 drum sets and over 200 songs

• Any custom beat or drum set can be loaded through included computer software
• MIDI Sync: Integrates with other MIDI devices
• Convenient small single-pedal format

In addition, Singular Sound will host a forum in which BeatBuddy users can upload and share their custom beats and drum sets. The BeadBuddy is not just a pedal -- it’s a platform.

The BeatBuddy will retail for $350(USD), but early birds who help fund the production through Singular Sound’s Indiegogo campaign will be able to score one for as little as $179 (USD). However, that price will only be available for the first 500 supporters.

For further information on the BeatBuddy and to back the project today, visit: igg.me/at/BeatBuddy

Media contact:

David Packouz, Founder/CEO

david@mybeatbuddy.com

305-793-3413

Half Step Below

Hi,

This is a nice exercise to practice your Arpeggio and making it sound more interesting and a little jazzy.

Just add a note half step before your chord tone.

The above outline a Gmaj7 chord.

Try playing the exercise over a Gmaj7 chord and hear how it sound.

You can also try a whole step before your chord tone.

Have fun!

Good Tone

Hi,

Recently I've been thinking about achieving a nice tone in my playing. Some people said it's the player and not the gear. I personally think it's both.

I would like to list down a few factors that may affect the tone.

1. Player's control (fretting & plucking)
2. Bass with good action
3. Experiment with the knobs. Which pick ups to use, preamp and etc
4. Pluck near neck pick up or near bridge pick up
5. Better pick ups
6. Good bass amp
7. Parametric EQ (and other effects)
8. String brand & gauge
9. Wood (body & neck)
10. Neck through or Bolt on

Hope you can get the tone you want for your genre.

Cheers

Small hands

Hi,

For those who are like me with small hands, this article is for you.

Ibanez bass is famous for their slim neck and comes with good wood and electronics.

The above is an Ibanez SR 500 with Mahogany body and Bartolini pick ups.

Since the neck is slim, I can play faster and the bass is 24 frets, which makes it easier to play higher up the neck.

The pricing is not high compared with basses with similar specifications.

Do check it out in the music store near you.

Cheers! 

ii V Sub

Hi,

I was reading on adding substitute chords to the static V7 chords.

Let's learn some simple Jazz together.

Say we have a progression like this: Eb |Eb |D7 |D7 |Eb |Eb |C7 |C7 |

We can use the ii V substitute to make it more interesting.

It will become like this: Eb |Eb |Am7 |D7 |Eb | Eb |Gm7| C7|

The reverse is true. So if you have a progression like Am7 D7, it can become D7 D7.

Have fun!

Chromatic with Double Stop

Hi,

Just want to show a simple exercise with a combination of chromatic notes and double stop.

Basically you can loop this exercise and add your own notes.

The low E note with the double stop will give you a nice E chord.

Enjoy!

Slap Arpeggio - Mark King

Hi,

This exercise helps you to play "Lessons in love" by Level 42.

The chords are G B7 Em C.

The challenge is to get a consistent sound when slapping the arpeggio.

Have fun!

Funk Groove - James Brown

Hi,

This bass exercise is inspired by the song 'Give it up or turn it loose' by James Brown.

You may want to listen to the track and get a feel before trying the exercise.

You can slap this exercise if you want. Important is the feel.

Hope you like it.

Cheers

Double Thumb Exercise

Hi,

Bass players like Larry Graham, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten and etc often use the double thumb technique.

This is a nice and simple exercise for you to practice the double thumb technique.

Saw Uriah Duffy did something like this and it sounded like Jaco's lines.

Give it a try.

Have fun!

Diminished Arpeggio

Hi,

This lesson was something that I learn from watching Janek Gwizdala's video.

It is a 2 octave diminished arpeggio. I used G diminished for the below example.

You only need to use your index and pinky to play the exercise.

I find it interesting and fun.

Hope you like it.

Using 5th

Hi,

This is a lesson that I learn from watching Damian Erskine's video, but simplified.

Starting from the G note on the 3rd fret of the E string, you play the 5th interval.

You can use it as a quick riff when in the key of G.

Notice that all the notes are in G major scale.

The pattern sounds nice because you are outlining the 9th chord.

Have fun and experiment.

DI Box

DI box or Direct Input Box is frequently used to connect our bass or amp into the mixer. The box helps to balance the signal and reduce noise or distortion.

Since I use my bass amp as my monitor, the connection will be for the bass to line in into the DI box, 

DI box will have a link to the input of the amp. The DI box output (XLR) will go into the mixer.

Hope this information is useful.

Cheers

Sequencing Exercise

Hi,

Practicing scales can become monotonous after a while.

Sequencing exercises help to make scales sound more musical and interesting.

The above is a sequencing exercise for A major scale.

You can practice ascending and descending or different numbers of sequences.

Have fun!

Altered Major Chord

Hi,

A common alteration on the major chord is to add a #11.

The formula of a Cmaj7#11 is 1 3 5 7 #11

#11 is to raise the 4th degree by half step.

4th in C is a F. Raise half a step is F#.

So the chord tone in a Cmaj7#11 is C E G B F#.

You can easily improvise over the Cmaj7#11 with the C major Pentatonic or Lydian scale.

Have Fun!

Simple Chord Tone Solo

Hi,

Ever thought of starting a song with some simple solo bass lines?

The easiest way is to play chord tone (1 3 5 7) at a higher register.

Playing the guide tone (3rd, 7th) is a good way to solo.

You can practice soloing over a ii V I progression.

If we are in the key of D, you will have Em7 A7 Dmaj7.

Find the chord tones around the 12th fret or higher and experiment.

Most people will tell you to avoid playing the root note when you solo.

So find the 3rd and 7th note of each chord.

Em7 - G D
A7 - C# G
Dmaj7 - F# C#

When you are comfortable, slowly add other notes in the D major scale as your passing notes.

Have fun trying.

Simple Bossa Nova

Hi,

We are going to try playing Bossa Nova on the bass.

You can also try a simple progression like Gmaj7 Cmaj7 Gmaj7 Am7 D7 Gmaj7.

There are more complicated Bossa Nova progression that you can discover on the web.

Enjoy and have fun.

Rhythm Slap

Hi,

This rhythmic exercise can give our slapping a drumming feel.

 




The pattern is TPTT | slTPT

Just try it slow and repeat the pattern.

T is thumb (slap)
P is Pluck (pop)
sl is to slap the fretboard using your fretting hand

If you are having difficulties with the above pattern, my suggestion is to try one pattern first.

E.g. TPTT | TPTT - repeat or slTPT | slTPT - repeat

Some Bass Players to listen to for such slapping are:

1. Mark King
2. Anthony Wellington
3. Alexis Sklarevski
4. Yoshihiro Naruse (Casiopea)

Have fun.

First Inversion

Hi,

We will be playing the first inversion for a ii V I progression in C.

The tabs are below and very easy to follow.

You can use that as a simple walking bass line.








The concept is simple but the music is great.

Have fun.

Approach Notes

Hi,

This exercise shows you how to approach the chord tone from one note below.

We will use the C chord for this exercise. The notes in a C chord are C E G.






Your playing will sound more jazzy using this method.

Have fun!

Palm Mute

Hi,

Palm muting is a guitar technique to muffle the strings slightly.
To achieve this sound, place your palm just over the saddles on the bridge.
Most of the time I use my thumb to play the notes but bass player like Gary Willis will include his index and middle finger.
You can create the pedal rock sound using the palm mute technique.

Have fun.

Parametric EQ

Hi,

I am not technical enough to explain the function of a Parametric EQ but just share with you what I use.

I have been using the Yamaha NE-1 Parametric EQ for many years and I must say that it is a helpful tool to get a good tone on my bass. Once you use it, you will not want to do without it.

Usually a Parametric EQ device consists of 3 main elements: frequency, level and bandwidth.
The above NE-1 is easy to use because I just need to select either Deep or Shallow and adjust the frequency to my liking.

For those who are more technical, you can try out some units with two bands of Parametric EQ which is more precise. Some bass amps and mixing boards have build-in Parametric EQ as well.

You can research further if you are keen to understand the technology.

Major Pentatonic Scale

Hi,

Pentatonic scale is one of the favorite scales for guitarists and bassists.

This is another way of playing the major pentatonic scale fast (esp slapping).

The above is a G major pentatonic scale and you can play that over a Gmaj7, Em7 or Am7.

If you have a smart phone, you can try to download this application called 'Chordbot'.

This app allowed you to key in any chords for self practice.

Chordbot Lite is free and if you like it so much, you can download the full version at a nominal fee.

Have fun!

Tritone Bassline in Blues

Hi,

In the previous lessons, we learn about how tritone works.

Now we want to create a bassline using tritone in a blues setting.

In the key of G, the 1 4 5 blues progression is G7 C7 D7.

After holding the G note for one bar, you can try the lick below.

The lick combines the notes of a G7 chord and it's tritone (Db7).






Don't worry about getting the right timing for now. Once you are familiar with the lick then work on the timing.

You can apply the same concept for the C7 and D7 chord.

Have fun.

How Tritone Substitute Works

Hi,

We will be learning more about tritone substitute in this lesson.

In key of C, ii V I is Dm7 G7 Cmaj7

Tritone substitute also known as flat 5 substitute, will replace the dominant chord,

in this case, the G7 and replace it with Db7.

The new progression will be Dm7 Db7 Cmaj7.

The notes in a Db7 are Db, F, Ab and B

It is actually a G7 alter chord - G7(b9)#11 (with G as the root)

This is the reason why we could use a Db7 instead of G7.

Hope its clear.

Cheers

Drop 2 Voicing

Hi,

Want to find more ways to play chords on bass?

Let's try out the drop 2 voicing.

The interval of a major chord is - 1 3 5 7

For drop 2 voicing it will be - 5 1 3 7

So if we are looking at a Cmaj7 chord - C E G B

The drop 2 degree will be - G C E B

This is slightly different from the 2nd inversion - 5 7 1 3 (G B C E)

Hope this helps.

cheers

Improvisation Tips

Hi,

Happy 2012!

Anthony Wellington did a clinic for Aguilar and he was sharing some soloing tips.

First you loop this chord progression: Am7 (A C E G) Bm7 (B D F# A) Em7 (E G B D)

If you do not have a looper maybe can ask your guitar or keyboard friend to play.

Instead of thinking arpeggio or modes for each chord, just try to hear and play within the
G major Scale (G A B C D E F#).

Some notes may not sound that nice over the chords, so shift around and hear.

You can explore more ways but this is something that even a beginner can try.

Have fun!

C Major Scale Slapping Groove

Hi,

Recently I was playing around with my bass and came out with this simple exercise which sounded quite impressive when I slowly increased the tempo.





The notes from the above exercise are all in the C major scale.

Please note that the ghost note(x) is crucial for this exercise.
Make sure that you do not skip it.

(h) is hammered on. This technique will help you play fast when you slap.

Do practice this exercise using finger plucking as well.

Have fun!

Minor ii V i

Hi,

This is part 2 of using Chords to play ii V I

Instead of playing Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 which is ii V I,

for the minor ii V i, try Dm7(b5) G7 Cm7.

This is how a Dm7(b5) looks like on a 4 string bass.

---10----
---10----
---11----
---10----

I love the sound, hope you like it too.

Cheers

Tapping a Minor 9th Chord

Hi,

Bass player can play like a pianist on the fretboard by using the tapping technique.

This exercise will show you the arpeggio of a Gmin9 chord.

The notes are G on the 15th fret (E string), D on the 17th fret (A string), A on the 19th fret (D string) and Bb on the 15th fret (G string).








Use your left hand to tap the G note, followed by your right hand on the D and A note and the Bb with your right hand.

Beautiful sound!

Enjoy.

Using Chords to play ii V I

Hi,

A simple way of playing the ii V I progressions using chords on bass.








You will notice that the 5th is not used and you still get the jazz sound.

Have fun.

Chromatic Approach - Walking bass

Hi,

Chromatic approach note is where you play a note above or below the targeted note.

Here is an example of how we can play a common jazz progression with the chromatic approach.








The note inside the bracket is the chromatic note.

Hope this helps.

Have fun.

Double Tap

Hi,

Here is a simple double tap exercise to make the bass more interesting.






Use your right hand (index and middle) fingers to simultaneously press on the 12th fret D and G string. Play around with rhythmic patterns.

Hope this exercise will help you explore more ways to create music with bass.

Cheers

3 Positions for G Major 7

Hi,

The exercise below will help us to understand the fretboard and explore more ways to play the Gmaj 7 arpeggio.













The proposed fingering can be changed to your preference.

Do try the fingering on other major chords like Cmaj7 and etc.

Have fun.

D Melodic Minor Scale

Hi,

Most of us are familiar with the Natural Minor Scale (Aeolian) but seldom practice the Melodic Minor Scale.

The formula for Melodic Minor Scale is 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7

Therefore the D Melodic Minor Scale will be D E F G A B C#





A simple exercise to try this scale is over the II V I progression in C

The chords are Dm7 G7 Cmaj7.

When the musicians play a G7 chord, try playing the D Melodic Minor Scale.

It is equivalent to a G dominant Lydian Scale. Sound even more jazzy now!

Have fun.

Minor Pentatonic Exercise

Hi,

If you are bored of playing the same minor pentatonic scale over and over again, try the below exercise.

It is quite a good stretch and breaks away from the standard pattern.

This is the C Minor Pentatonic Scale.




Try reversing the exercise from the 15th fret back to the 3rd fret.

Have fun.

Walking Bass Without Root

Hi,

Before reading this lesson, you might want to review Basic Walking Bass and Simple ii V I Progression Using Chord Tone.

As I already explained before about using chord tone to construct our walking bass lines, today's exercise is similar but no root note is used.

To avoid using the root note is challenging but the bass lines produced is more interesting.

Below is a simple ii V I IV Jazz progression in key of D.








I used the 3rd as the first note of the chord.

E.g. The notes in Em7 are E(root) G(3rd) B(5th) D(7th).

The first note I used for Em7 is G.

You can choose to play the line on a lower register.

Hope this is clear.

Cheers

Bass Clef

The first step to sight reading is to know the notes within the staff.

Some music books use phrases like Good Boys Don't Fight (G B D F) and All Cows Eat Grass (A C E G).

For me, I recognize by chords.

G B D F is a G7 chord and A C E G is an Am7 chord.

Whichever works for you, use it.

Start reading something simple before going into complicated rhythms.

Cheers

Minor Chord Substitution

Chord Substitution is common in our music today.

We can replace a chord with another related chord.

Often the substituted chord differs by one or two notes from the original chord.

Before you read this post, it will be good to take a look at my previous lesson - Introduction to Chords Substitution

For example, we can replace an Am7 chord with a Fmaj7 chord.

The notes in the Am7 chord are: A C E G

In the Fmaj7 chord the notes are: F A C E

There is only one note difference between these two chords.

If we have an Em7 chord, we can replace it with a Cmaj7 chord.

You can also replace the Em7 chord with a Gmaj7 chord.

The notes in the Em7 are: E G B D and G B D F# for Gmaj7.

Again the difference is only in one note. You can call this a relative chord.

Hope this helps.

Universal 9 Volt DC Power Supply

Recently I bought an effect pedal and realize that the adapter that comes with it supply only 120v but my country uses 220-240v.

To get a transformer to step up could be quite troublesome and bulky.

I found out that we can use an Universal 9 Volt DC Power Supply.

The auto-sensing circuitry runs off 100-240 volts and can use it anywhere in the world.

Take up only one outlet space and makes it easy to travel.

You can check out '1 Spot' by Visual Sound or 'Power All' by Godlyke.

Hope this information is useful.

Improvise using the 5th

Hi,

We are going to take a look at using the 5th of the chord tones when we improvise.

This lesson helps us to break away from landing on the root especially during solos.

For example if the chord is a Cmaj7, you can land on the G since it is still within the chord tones.

Now try playing the G Arpeggio.

The notes in the G Arpeggio are G, B and D (end with G octave).

G is the 5th of Cmaj7, B is the 7th of Cmaj7 and D is the 9th of the chord.

Have fun.

Right Hand Technique ( 3 fingers)

Hi,

I would like to share with you the 3 fingers technique which I am trying to improve and apply.

The plucking concept is similar to that of playing on a classical guitar.

You can check out Bass players like Dominique Di Piazza and Damian Erskine for more applications and examples.








T - Thumb
m - middle finger
i - index finger

Practice slow and gradually increase the speed.

Have fun!

Playing Chords on Bass (3 positions)

Hi,

We know that a basic chord is formed by 1 3 5.

For example, the notes in an A chord will be A (1) C# (3) E (5).

I have tabbed out three different positions of an A chord.

Some of you will know them as inversions.







Remember the shape and shift it around to play other chords.

Hope this is clear.

Have fun.

G Major Scale Exercise

Hi,

The exercise below is an alternate way to practice the G major scale.

Sometimes when you improvise in the key of G, this pattern can be quite useful.





This will help you to be more familiar with the fretboard.

You can practice playing backward as well.

Have fun

Choosing a 4, 5 or 6 String Bass

Dear all,

This video by Russ Rodgers is a good introduction for beginners who are deciding what basses to get.



Hope this is helpful

Cheers

C7 Chord Arrpegio

Hi,

The dominant chord is very common in most genre of music like blues, funk and gospel.

It is important as bass player to know the pattern and notes of a chord.

The chart below shows the notes in a C7 Arrpegio.






The notes in a C7 chord are C (root) E (3rd) G (5th) Bb (b7).

Practice this pattern and slowly move up the frets to find the other notes in the chord.

Have fun.

Double 5th Exercise

Dear friends,

If G is "I", the "V" is D

If D is "I", A is the "V"

The exercise below is useful when you are playing a lick in G.






All the notes are from the G major scale.

From the G on the 3rd fret of the E string to the G on the 12th fret of the G string.

Try this out and play some variation.

Cheers

Basic Bass Chords Chart

Hi,

Playing chords on the bass is easy, fun and nice.

We know that a major chord has a formula of 135.

Example in a G major chord, the notes that formed the chord is G B D (135).

G minor will be G Bb D (1 b3 5) and G Dominant will be G B D F (1 3 5 b7).

The 5th is not necessary when playing a bass chord.

The chart below will give you a good introduction of playing chords on bass.











Have Fun.

Funk and Blues using Dominant 7

Hi,

This is a simple exercise for those who are exploring funk and blues.

The dominant 7 chords are frequently used in these genres.

The exercise below can be played over a A7 and D7 progression.






You may want to add some bending and sliding to create more feel.

You can practice the above as a slapping exercise as well.

Have fun.

Introduction to Chords Substitution

Hi,

This post is an attempt to understand basic chords substitution.

This is useful when the chords for both the verse and chorus of a song are the same.

Let's list down the chords in G major.

I II III IV V VI VII
Gmaj7 Am7 Bm7 Cmaj7 D7 Em7 F#m7(b5)

For example, the chords of a song uses I VI IV V progression.

The chords will be Gmaj7 Em7 Cmaj7 D7.

We can substitute I with III.

Instead of playing Gmaj7, we change to Bm7.

The new progression will be Bm7 Em7 Cmaj7 D7

The notes in a Gmaj7 are G B D F#

The notes in a Bm7 are B D F# A

Out of 4 notes, 3 are the same, therefore it will sound correct.

Hope this helps.

Have fun.

Arpeggios 3rd

Hi,

When we are playing bass, sometimes it is good to start on the root but end on the 3rd (10th)

How do you do it?

Let say you want to improvise over a G chord.

You can follow the notes below:

--------------------------------------------
-------------------------5(root)---9 (10th)-
---------2(3rd)--5(5th)--------------------
-3(root)------------------------------------

You will be surprise by this simple technique.

Cheers

Power Chord Slap

Hi,

A Power Chord is a chord that consist of the root and the fifth.

For example, to play a F Power Chord, you press the F note (root) and the C note (5th).

Now the exercise below is a triplet slap exercise.


---------5(p)--------7(p)---------9(p)-------
--0-(h)3------0-(h)5------0-(h)7------------
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------

Practice slowly and gradually increase the speed.

Have Fun.

Open Hammer Pluck

Hi,

Just to follow up on the previous post.

If you gave it a try, you will be surprise how fast you can play with little effort.

Now let's try another technique called the open hammer pluck.

All you need to do is add a pluck after the open hammer.

------------6(p)--------8(p)--------9(p)---
--------------------------------------------
----0-4(h)-----0-6(h)------0-7(h)---------
--------------------------------------------

Have fun!

How to sound fast?

Hi,

There are many ways to sound fast in your bass playing but what I would like

to share is to make use of the open hammer-on.

You may like to use your thumb (slap) to play this exercise.

----------------------------------------
-----------------0-5-7-----------------
---------0-5-7----------0-5-7---------
-0-5-7-------------------------0-5-7--

The above is a simple Em Pentatonic Scale.

Use your thumb to strike the string, than you can use your left index finger to fret the note followed by the hammer-on using your ring finger.

Have fun.

9th Chord

Hi,

There are some players who are confuse with the 9th chord and I hope to explain clearly here.

The notes in a C major scale are - C D E F G A B C ( 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8(1) )

The notes in a Cmaj 7 chord are - C E G B (1 3 5 7)

The notes in a C7 chord are - C E G Bb (1 3 5 b7)

To play a 9th chord, it is simple.

For a Cmaj 9, the notes are - C E G B D (2+7 =9)

For a C9 , the notes are - C E G Bb D

So do not mix up Cmaj9 and C9.

Hope this helps.

Cheers