As the tonic (I)C♭ major
Home. The loop leaves C♭maj9 and keeps coming back to it.
C♭maj9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C♭maj9 chord is a major ninth chord built on the root note C♭. Its notes are C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as Bmaj9.
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
- C♭ · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · D♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11 · 14
- Note
- C♭
- Quality
- Major 9
- Symbol
- C♭maj9
C♭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 C♭maj9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C♭, index finger on D♭, 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 E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭ are black keys and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♭1
- D♭9
- E♭3
- G♭5
- B♭7
C♭maj9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C♭maj9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Don't play string 6.
C♭ · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · D♭
Try C♭maj9 on the virtual piano
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C♭maj9 chord notes
Also known as Bmaj9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | D♭(Db) |
How to use the C♭maj9 chord
The C♭maj9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a major seventh and a major ninth. Start at the root C♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭. 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 C♭maj9 differs from similar chords
C♭maj9 stacks a major ninth on C♭maj7, and it differs from C♭9 only in the seventh, a half step higher. Without that major seventh it would be C♭add9. Its upper four notes form the minor seventh chord a major third above the root, which is how pianists often voice it.
Where C♭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 C♭maj9 chord?
- The C♭maj9 chord contains C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭ (Cb, Eb, Gb, Bb and Db in plain text).
- Is the C♭maj9 chord major or minor?
- C♭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 C♭maj9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭ 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 E♭, G♭, B♭ and D♭ are black keys and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B.
- How do you play C♭maj9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the C♭maj9 chord?
- C♭maj9 is enharmonically equivalent to Bmaj9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.