Piano chord
A♭m9A flat minor ninth
- A♭1
- C♭♭3
- E♭5
- G♭♭7
- B♭9
- Notes
- 5
- Positions
- 4
- Span
- 14semitones
- Fingers
- 5 + 1-3-5
How to play A♭m9 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♭m9 inversions
Use these 4 positions to move between chords with as little hand movement as possible. Root position starts on A♭; the inversions start on the other notes of the chord.
- Root positionbass: A♭A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭ – B♭
- 1st inversionbass: C♭C♭ – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – A♭
- 2nd inversionbass: E♭E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – A♭ – C♭
- 3rd inversionbass: G♭G♭ – B♭ – A♭ – C♭ – E♭
A♭m9 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♭m9 on other instruments
About the A♭m9 chord
To build A flat minor ninth, take these 5 notes from the root up: A♭ (1), C♭ (♭3), E♭ (5), G♭ (♭7), B♭ (9). A minor ninth: a minor seventh with the ninth. Lush and mellow, heard in neo-soul and jazz ballads.
The keys are A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭ – B♭, counted up from A♭; the distance from the lowest to the highest key is 14 semitones. Few hands reach that far, so share A♭m9 between both hands, with A♭ in the left.
In the inversions of A♭m9 the root moves up and another note takes the bass. 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♭).
Compared with A♭m7, A♭m9 has one more note, B♭.
Questions
What notes are in the A♭m9 chord?
A♭m9 (A flat minor ninth) has 5 notes: A♭ (1), C♭ (♭3), E♭ (5), G♭ (♭7), B♭ (9).
How many inversions does A♭m9 have?
A♭m9 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♭m9 and A♭m7?
Compared with A♭m7, A♭m9 has one more note, B♭.
Can I play A♭m9 with one hand?
In root position A♭m9 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.