As the tonic (I)A♭ major
Home. The loop leaves A♭maj9 and keeps coming back to it.
A♭maj9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A♭maj9 chord is a major 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♯maj9.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major ninth chords are lush and floating. A major seventh chord with a ninth added, they are one of the sweetest sounds in jazz and neo-soul, warm enough to sit still on for a whole bar.
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · G · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11 · 14
- Note
- A♭
- Quality
- Major 9
- Symbol
- A♭maj9
A♭maj9 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♭maj9 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♭ and B♭ are black keys and C and G are 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
- G7
- B♭9
A♭maj9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A♭maj9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 4. String 3 rings open.
A♭ · C · E♭ · G · B♭
Try A♭maj9 on the virtual piano
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A♭maj9 chord notes
Also known as G♯maj9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | C | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | G | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | B♭(Bb) |
How to use the A♭maj9 chord
The A♭maj9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a major 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.
Major ninth chords work as the I or IV chord where a major seventh would do, adding depth without changing the function. Bossa nova, jazz, soul and R&B treat them as a default tonic sound.
How A♭maj9 differs from similar chords
A♭maj9 stacks a major ninth on A♭maj7, and it differs from A♭9 only in the seventh, a half step higher. Without that major seventh it would be A♭add9. Its upper four notes form the minor seventh chord a major third above the root, which is how pianists often voice it.
Where A♭maj9 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♭maj9 chord?
- The A♭maj9 chord contains A♭, C, E♭, G and B♭ (Ab, C, Eb, G and Bb in plain text).
- Is the A♭maj9 chord major or minor?
- A♭maj9 is a major ninth chord. Major ninth chords are lush and floating. A major seventh chord with a ninth added, they are one of the sweetest sounds in jazz and neo-soul, warm enough to sit still on for a whole bar.
- How do you play A♭maj9 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♭ and B♭ are black keys and C and G are 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♭maj9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 4. String 3 rings open.
- What is another name for the A♭maj9 chord?
- A♭maj9 is enharmonically equivalent to G♯maj9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.