F♭maj9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♭maj9 chord is a major ninth chord built on the root note F♭. Its notes are F♭, A♭, C♭, E♭ and G♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as Emaj9.
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
- F♭ · A♭ · C♭ · E♭ · G♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11 · 14
- Note
- F♭
- Quality
- Major 9
- Symbol
- F♭maj9
F♭maj9 on piano
5 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play F♭maj9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♭, index finger on A♭, middle finger on C♭, ring finger on E♭ and little finger on G♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♭, E♭ and G♭ are black keys and F♭ and C♭ are white, the keys you'd normally call E and B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F♭1
- A♭3
- C♭5
- E♭7
- G♭9
F♭maj9 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♭maj9 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. Strings 6 and 2 ring open.
F♭ · A♭ · C♭ · E♭ · G♭
Play F♭maj9 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F♭maj9 chord notes
Also known as Emaj9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♭(Fb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | G♭(Gb) |
How to use the F♭maj9 chord
The F♭maj9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a major seventh and a major ninth. Start at the root F♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♭, A♭, C♭, E♭ and G♭. 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 F♭maj9 differs from similar chords
F♭maj9 stacks a major ninth on F♭maj7, and it differs from F♭9 only in the seventh, a half step higher. Without that major seventh it would be F♭add9. Its upper four notes form the minor seventh chord a major third above the root, which is how pianists often voice it.
Where F♭maj9 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key F♭maj9 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F♭maj9 chord?
- The F♭maj9 chord contains F♭, A♭, C♭, E♭ and G♭ (Fb, Ab, Cb, Eb and Gb in plain text).
- Is the F♭maj9 chord major or minor?
- F♭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 F♭maj9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♭, A♭, C♭, E♭ and G♭ 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 G♭ are black keys and F♭ and C♭ are white, the keys you'd normally call E and B.
- How do you play F♭maj9 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. Strings 6 and 2 ring open.
- What is another name for the F♭maj9 chord?
- F♭maj9 is enharmonically equivalent to Emaj9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.