As the tonic (I)A♭ major
Home. The loop leaves A♭add9 and keeps coming back to it.
A♭add9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A♭add9 chord is a added ninth chord built on the root note A♭. Its notes are A♭, C, E♭ and B♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♯add9.
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Short answer
Added ninth chords are open and shimmering. Unlike a ninth chord they leave the seventh out, so the added second degree colours the triad without any of the tension a dominant brings, a favourite of pop and worship guitarists.
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 14
- Note
- A♭
- Quality
- Added 9
- Symbol
- A♭add9
A♭add9 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A♭add9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A♭, index finger on C, middle finger on E♭ and little finger on B♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♭, E♭ and B♭ are black keys and C is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A♭1
- C3
- E♭5
- B♭9
A♭add9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A♭add9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
A♭ · C · E♭ · B♭
Play A♭add9 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
A♭add9 chord notes
Also known as G♯add9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | C | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | B♭(Bb) |
How to use the A♭add9 chord
The A♭add9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major ninth. Start at the root A♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A♭, C, E♭ and B♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Added ninth chords replace plain major chords when a part needs air, especially in fingerpicked guitar and piano pads. They are everywhere in pop ballads, worship music and indie rock.
How A♭add9 differs from similar chords
A♭add9 adds a ninth to A♭ and leaves the seventh out, which is exactly what separates it from A♭9 and A♭maj9. Unlike A♭sus2, it keeps the major third, so it stays clearly major. The ninth is the same note as the second, only an octave higher.
Where A♭add9 is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A♭add9 chord?
- The A♭add9 chord contains A♭, C, E♭ and B♭ (Ab, C, Eb and Bb in plain text).
- Is the A♭add9 chord major or minor?
- A♭add9 is a added ninth chord. Added ninth chords are open and shimmering. Unlike a ninth chord they leave the seventh out, so the added second degree colours the triad without any of the tension a dominant brings, a favourite of pop and worship guitarists.
- How do you play A♭add9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on A♭, C, E♭ and B♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard A♭, E♭ and B♭ are black keys and C is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play A♭add9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
- What is another name for the A♭add9 chord?
- A♭add9 is enharmonically equivalent to G♯add9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.