As the tonic (I)B♭ major
Home. The loop leaves B♭maj9 and keeps coming back to it.
B♭maj9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B♭maj9 chord is a major ninth chord built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, D, F, A and C. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♯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
- B♭ · D · F · A · C
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11 · 14
- Note
- B♭
- Quality
- Major 9
- Symbol
- B♭maj9
B♭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 B♭maj9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B♭, index finger on C, middle finger on D, ring finger on F and little finger on A. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard B♭ is a black key and D, F, A and C 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.
- B♭1
- C9
- D3
- F5
- A7
B♭maj9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B♭maj9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 4 rings open. Don't play string 6.
B♭ · D · F · A · C
Play B♭maj9 on the online piano
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B♭maj9 chord notes
Also known as A♯maj9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | D | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | A | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | C |
How to use the B♭maj9 chord
The B♭maj9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a major seventh and a major ninth. Start at the root B♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: B♭, D, F, A and C. 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 B♭maj9 differs from similar chords
B♭maj9 stacks a major ninth on B♭maj7, and it differs from B♭9 only in the seventh, a half step higher. Without that major seventh it would be B♭add9. Its upper four notes form the minor seventh chord a major third above the root, which is how pianists often voice it.
Where B♭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 B♭maj9 chord?
- The B♭maj9 chord contains B♭, D, F, A and C (Bb, D, F, A and C in plain text).
- Is the B♭maj9 chord major or minor?
- B♭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 B♭maj9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on B♭, D, F, A and C 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 B♭ is a black key and D, F, A and C 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 B♭maj9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 4 rings open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the B♭maj9 chord?
- B♭maj9 is enharmonically equivalent to A♯maj9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.