Piano chord
B♭9B flat dominant ninth
- B♭1
- D3
- F5
- A♭♭7
- C9
- Notes
- 5
- Positions
- 4
- Span
- 14semitones
- Fingers
- 5 + 1-3-5
How to play B♭9 on piano
- Find B♭: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
- Left hand: play B♭ with the little finger (5), an octave below the right hand.
- Right hand: 1 on D, 3 on A♭, 5 on C.
- Leave out F: 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 · B♭ – D – F – A♭ – C
1st inversion · D – F – A♭ – C – B♭
2nd inversion · F – A♭ – C – B♭ – D
3rd inversion · A♭ – C – B♭ – D – F
This chord has more notes than one hand holds comfortably; see the two-hand voicing below.
B♭9 inversions
Use these 4 positions to move between chords with as little hand movement as possible. Root position starts on B♭; the inversions start on the other notes of the chord.
- Root positionbass: B♭B♭ – D – F – A♭ – C
- 1st inversionbass: DD – F – A♭ – C – B♭
- 2nd inversionbass: FF – A♭ – C – B♭ – D
- 3rd inversionbass: A♭A♭ – C – B♭ – D – F
B♭9 with two hands
A practical voicing: the left hand plays B♭, the right hand plays the colour notes D–A♭–C. Notes that can be left out are left out.
B♭9 on other instruments
About the B♭9 chord
To build B flat dominant ninth, take these 5 notes from the root up: B♭ (1), D (3), F (5), A♭ (♭7), C (9). A dominant ninth: a dominant seventh with the ninth on top. Funky and rich, typical of blues, funk and soul.
The keys are B♭ – D – F – A♭ – C, counted up from B♭; the distance from the lowest to the highest key is 14 semitones. Few hands reach that far, so share B♭9 between both hands, with B♭ in the left.
In the inversions of B♭9 the root moves up and another note takes the bass. In the 1st inversion the bass is D (D–F–A♭–C–B♭). In the 2nd inversion the bass is F (F–A♭–C–B♭–D). In the 3rd inversion the bass is A♭ (A♭–C–B♭–D–F).
Compared with B♭7, B♭9 has one more note, C.
Questions
What notes are in the B♭9 chord?
B♭9 (B flat dominant ninth) has 5 notes: B♭ (1), D (3), F (5), A♭ (♭7), C (9).
How many inversions does B♭9 have?
B♭9 can be played in 4 positions: Root position (B♭–D–F–A♭–C); 1st inversion (D–F–A♭–C–B♭); 2nd inversion (F–A♭–C–B♭–D); 3rd inversion (A♭–C–B♭–D–F).
What is the difference between B♭9 and B♭7?
Compared with B♭7, B♭9 has one more note, C.
Can I play B♭9 with one hand?
In root position B♭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.