As the ii in a ii-V-IG♭ major
- ii9A♭m9
- V7D♭7
- Imaj7G♭maj7
The standard cadence: A♭m9 carries the subdominant function before the dominant arrives.
A♭m9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A♭m9 chord is a minor ninth chord built on the root note A♭. Its notes are A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭ and B♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♯m9.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Minor ninth chords are smooth, cool and slightly melancholy. The ninth widens a minor seventh into something more spacious, which is why it anchors so much modern R&B, house and jazz comping.
- Notes
- A♭ · C♭ · E♭ · G♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 10 · 14
- Note
- A♭
- Quality
- Minor 9
- Symbol
- A♭m9
A♭m9 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A♭m9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A♭, index finger on C♭, middle finger on E♭, ring finger on G♭ and little finger on B♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♭, E♭, G♭ and B♭ are black keys and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B. 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
- C♭♭3
- E♭5
- G♭♭7
- B♭9
A♭m9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A♭m9 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. String 2 rings open.
A♭ · C♭ · E♭ · G♭ · B♭
Play A♭m9 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
A♭m9 chord notes
Also known as G♯m9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♭(Ab) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E♭(Eb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | B♭(Bb) |
How to use the A♭m9 chord
The A♭m9 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and a major ninth. Start at the root A♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭ and B♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Minor ninth chords stand in for minor sevenths as the ii chord in a ii-V-I, or as the tonic of a minor groove. Neo-soul, house, jazz and R&B use them as the default minor colour.
How A♭m9 differs from similar chords
A♭m9 adds a major ninth to A♭m7, which sets it apart from a minor triad with only an added ninth and from A♭9, which has a major third. Its upper four notes form the major seventh chord a minor third above the root.
Where A♭m9 is used
A minor chord works as the tonic of its own key, and as the vi or the ii of a major one. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A♭m9 chord?
- The A♭m9 chord contains A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭ and B♭ (Ab, Cb, Eb, Gb and Bb in plain text).
- Is the A♭m9 chord major or minor?
- A♭m9 is a minor ninth chord. Minor ninth chords are smooth, cool and slightly melancholy. The ninth widens a minor seventh into something more spacious, which is why it anchors so much modern R&B, house and jazz comping.
- How do you play A♭m9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭ 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♭, G♭ and B♭ are black keys and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play A♭m9 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. String 2 rings open.
- What is another name for the A♭m9 chord?
- A♭m9 is enharmonically equivalent to G♯m9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.