Piano chord
A♭9A flat dominant ninth
- A♭1
- C3
- E♭5
- G♭♭7
- B♭9
- Notes
- 5
- Positions
- 4
- Span
- 14semitones
- Fingers
- 5 + 1-3-5
How to play A♭9 on piano
- Find A♭: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
- Left hand: play A♭ with the little finger (5), an octave below the right hand.
- Right hand: 1 on C, 3 on G♭, 5 on B♭.
- Leave out E♭: the chord is still recognisable without it, and the hand stays relaxed.
- Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.
Root position · A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭
1st inversion · C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – A♭
2nd inversion · E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – A♭ – C
3rd inversion · G♭ – B♭ – A♭ – C – E♭
This chord has more notes than one hand holds comfortably; see the two-hand voicing below.
A♭9 inversions
Here are all 4 positions of A♭9. The notes stay the same, only their order changes: root position has A♭ at the bottom, and every inversion starts on the next chord tone.
- Root positionbass: A♭A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭
- 1st inversionbass: CC – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – A♭
- 2nd inversionbass: E♭E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – A♭ – C
- 3rd inversionbass: G♭G♭ – B♭ – A♭ – C – E♭
A♭9 with two hands
A practical voicing: the left hand plays A♭, the right hand plays the colour notes C–G♭–B♭. Notes that can be left out are left out.
A♭9 on other instruments
About the A♭9 chord
The 5 notes of A flat dominant ninth are A♭ (1), C (3), E♭ (5), G♭ (♭7), B♭ (9). A dominant ninth: a dominant seventh with the ninth on top. Funky and rich, typical of blues, funk and soul.
Put your thumb on A♭ and count up: A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭. The whole chord spans 14 semitones from bottom to top. That is wider than an octave, so most pianists split A♭9: A♭ in the left hand, the upper notes in the right.
The inversions of A♭9 keep the same notes in a new order. In the 1st inversion the bass is C (C–E♭–G♭–B♭–A♭). In the 2nd inversion the bass is E♭ (E♭–G♭–B♭–A♭–C). In the 3rd inversion the bass is G♭ (G♭–B♭–A♭–C–E♭).
Add B♭ to A♭7 and you have A♭9.
Questions
What notes are in the A♭9 chord?
A♭9 (A flat dominant ninth) has 5 notes: A♭ (1), C (3), E♭ (5), G♭ (♭7), B♭ (9).
How many inversions does A♭9 have?
A♭9 can be played in 4 positions: Root position (A♭–C–E♭–G♭–B♭); 1st inversion (C–E♭–G♭–B♭–A♭); 2nd inversion (E♭–G♭–B♭–A♭–C); 3rd inversion (G♭–B♭–A♭–C–E♭).
What is the difference between A♭9 and A♭7?
Add B♭ to A♭7 and you have A♭9.
Can I play A♭9 with one hand?
In root position A♭9 spans 14 semitones, more than an octave. Play the root with the left hand and the upper notes with the right, or leave out the fifth.