Pedal Steel Atlas

E9 pedal steel chord

D6/9 on pedal steel

D 6/9 · 3,540 voicings on standard E9

Easiest D6/9 on E9 pedal steel: bar on fret 12, no pedals, pick strings 7, 8, 9 & 10 (F♯–E–D–B).

  • D, root
  • F♯, 3rd
  • A, 5th
  • B, 6th
  • E, 9th

Where you’ll hear it: The bright final chord of countless country and swing endings.

Start here: 3 grips to learn first

Every move is described by what it does to the strings, so these work on any E9 guitar. If your levers are wired differently, use the one that makes the same change.

Fret 12 · no pedals

Easiest
  1. Bar on fret 12 (or 24)
  2. No pedals or levers
  3. Pick strings 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 — F♯ E D B
Tab:
string 7fret 12
string 8fret 12
string 9fret 12
string 10fret 12
Open in the app →

Fret 10 · C pedal

Pedals
  1. Bar on fret 10 (or 22)
  2. Press the C pedal (E→F♯ + B→C♯)
  3. Pick strings 4 · 5 · 6 · 8 — E B F♯ D
Tab:
string 4fret 10C
string 5fret 10C
string 6fret 10
string 8fret 10
Open in the app →

Fret 3 · E→E♭ lever + D lever (past the stop)

Knee lever
  1. Bar on fret 3 (or 15)
  2. Push the E→E♭ lever — left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars
  3. Push the D lever (past the stop) (D♯→C♯ + D→C♯) — right knee, pushing right (RKR) on most guitars
  4. Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — E B F♯ D
Tab:
string 2fret 3D♯→C♯
string 3fret 3
string 4fret 3E→E♭
string 5fret 3
Open in the app →

More grips up the neck

Low neck · frets 0–7

Open strings · G♯→F♯ lever

  1. No bar — open strings (or bar on fret 12)
  2. Push a lever that lowers string 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
  3. Pick strings 5 · 6 · 8 · 9 — B F♯ E D
  • Needs a lever that lowers string 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar.

Fret 3 · C pedal + E→E♭ lever

  1. Bar on fret 3 (or 15)
  2. Press the C pedal (E→F♯ + B→C♯)
  3. Push the E→E♭ lever — left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars
  4. Pick strings 5 · 6 · 8 · 10 — E B F♯ D

Open strings · B pedal

  1. No bar — open strings (or bar on fret 12)
  2. Press the B pedal (G♯→A)
  3. Pick strings 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 — B A F♯ E D

Mid neck · frets 5–12

Fret 10 · D lever (past the stop)

  1. Bar on fret 10 (or 22)
  2. Push the D lever (past the stop) (D♯→C♯ + D→C♯) — right knee, pushing right (RKR) on most guitars
  3. Pick strings 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 — E B F♯ D

Fret 10 · A pedal

  1. Bar on fret 10 (or 22)
  2. Press the A pedal (B→C♯)
  3. Pick strings 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 — B F♯ E D

Fret 10 · A pedal + G♯→F♯ lever

  1. Bar on fret 10 (or 22)
  2. Press the A pedal (B→C♯)
  3. Push a lever that lowers string 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
  4. Pick strings 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 — F♯ D B E
  • Needs a lever that lowers string 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar.

High neck · frets 10–17

Fret 12 · G♯→F♯ lever

  1. Bar on fret 12 (or 24)
  2. Push a lever that lowers string 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
  3. Pick strings 6 · 8 · 9 · 10 — F♯ E D B
  • Needs a lever that lowers string 6 (G♯→F♯) — not on every guitar.

Fret 12 · B pedal

  1. Bar on fret 12 (or 24)
  2. Press the B pedal (G♯→A)
  3. Pick strings 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 — E B A F♯ E D

Fret 10 · C pedal + D♯→E lever

  1. Bar on fret 10 (or 22)
  2. Press the C pedal (E→F♯ + B→C♯)
  3. Push a lever that raises string 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
  4. Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — D F♯ E B
  • Needs a lever that raises string 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar.

Is your guitar set up differently?

Players wire their knee levers in different places, so this page names every change by what it does. Find the pedal or lever on your guitar that makes the same change — the name on yours doesn’t matter.

ChangeWhat it does · usually found
A pedalB→C♯Raises your B strings (5 & 10) a whole step to C♯.Usually: the A pedal on almost every E9 guitar
B pedalG♯→ARaises your G♯ strings (3 & 6) a half step to A.Usually: the B pedal on almost every E9 guitar
C pedalE→F♯ + B→C♯Raises string 4 (E) to F♯ and string 5 (B) to C♯ — a whole step each.Usually: the C pedal on almost every E9 guitar
E→E♭ leverE→E♭Lowers your E strings (4 & 8) a half step to E♭.Usually: left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars
F♯ & D♯ raise leverF♯→G♯ + D♯→E + G♯→F♯Raises string 1 (F♯) a whole step to G♯ and string 2 (D♯) a half step to E, and lowers string 6 (G♯) a whole step to F♯.Usually: right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitarsNot on every guitarOlder and student guitars often raise strings 1 & 7 F♯→G instead, and some players keep the 6th-string lower on another lever.
D lever (past the stop)D♯→C♯ + D→C♯The same lever pushed past its half-stop: takes string 2 (D♯) on down to C♯ and brings in string 9 (D), a half step down to C♯.Usually: right knee, pushing right (RKR) on most guitarsA few student and older guitars stop at D, with no C♯ position.

Pick your setup in Pedal Steel Atlas (it's free) — one of the built-in copedents, or your own exact one — and it re-voices every chord for your pedals and levers — open D6/9 in the app → or compare common setups.

How to read the diagrams

  • Diamond = the root (the note the chord is named after). Other notes are colored by their job in the chord, like the chips above.
  • Blue string = a pedal or lever changes it. The label on the left shows the new note (E→F).
  • Dashed line = the bar. Lay the steel directly over that fret, not between frets.
  • Colored pedal or lever = press it. String 1 is the one farthest from you; string 10 is nearest.

Keep exploring

More D chords

6/9 in every key

Pedal Steel Atlas

Every D6/9 voicing — on your guitar

  • Your setup. Pick a built-in copedent — or build your exact one, free — and every chord re-voices for your guitar.
  • Real steel tone. Hear every grip and the pedal moves between them.
  • Find the one you need. Filter by top note, bass string, or the changes you want to avoid.
  • From chord to tab. Drop any grip into a tab and play it back.
Open D6/9 in the appRuns right in your browser — nothing to install.