A♭9 chord
A♭9 is A♭, C, E♭, G♭ and B♭: 1–3–5–♭7–9 built on A♭. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
4-6-4-5-4-6 · barre · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- 4-6-4-5-4-6
A♭9 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · A♭–C–E♭–G♭–B♭ · right hand 1-2-3-4-5
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
A♭9 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-0-2-1 · open · easy
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- 1-0-2-1
Changing out of A♭9
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- A♭9 → C♯ (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below)
Guitar: A♭9 (4-6-4-5-4-6) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 6th fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. A♭ carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: A♭9 to C♯: play C♯ in 2nd inversion (G♯–C♯–E♯) and G♯ stays under the same finger, while C moves up to C♯ and G♭ down to E♯. C♯ - A♭9 → C♯maj7 (I in D♭ major)
Guitar: A♭9 (4-6-4-5-4-6) to C♯maj7 (x-4-6-5-6-4): your middle finger stays put, the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, the ring finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the pinky finger slides across to the B string at the same fret. Listen for A♭ and C, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: A♭9 to C♯maj7: play C♯maj7 in 2nd inversion (G♯–B♯–C♯–E♯) and G♯ and B♯ stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to C♯ and G♭ down to E♯. C♯maj7 - A♭9 → B♭m7 (vi in D♭ major)
Guitar: A♭9 (4-6-4-5-4-6) to B♭m7 (x-1-3-1-2-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the B string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the D string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared notes: A♭ and B♭.
Piano: A♭9 to B♭m7: play B♭m7 in 1st inversion (D♭–F–A♭–B♭) and B♭ stays under the same finger, while C moves up to D♭, G♭ down to F and G♭ up to A♭. B♭m7
Guitar with a capo: capo 4, E9 shape.
How A♭9 is built
A♭9 is a dominant ninth: A♭7 with the ninth on top. It has the pull of a seventh chord with a funkier, fuller color, and like A♭7 it leans toward C♯.
Count keys (black and white) from A♭: 4 half steps up to C, 3 half steps up to E♭, 3 half steps up to G♭ then 4 half steps up to B♭. You may also see it as G♯9: same keys, same frets.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ | root | 0 | |
| C | major third | 4 | |
| E♭ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| G♭ | minor seventh | 10 | |
| B♭ | ninth | 14 |
Keys and progressions with A♭9
A♭9 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
Chords close to A♭9
- A♭9 is A♭7 plus B♭. A♭7
Chords that share most of their notes with A♭9: Cm7♭5, E♭m6, A♭7, A♭add9, Cdim, E♭m.
Every A♭ chord
A♭9 chord: questions
What notes are in the A♭9 chord?
A♭, C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. A♭9 is built 1–3–5–♭7–9 from A♭: C is the major third, E♭ is the perfect fifth, G♭ is the minor seventh and B♭ is the ninth.
How do you play A♭9 on guitar?
The usual shape is 4-6-4-5-4-6 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play A♭9 on piano?
Play A♭, C, E♭, G♭ and B♭ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-4-5. A♭ sits on the middle black key of the three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play A♭9 on ukulele?
1-0-2-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is A♭9 in?
A♭9 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
What's the difference between A♭9 and A♭7?
A♭9 is A♭7 plus B♭.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.