B♭9 chord
B♭9 is B♭, D, F, A♭ and C: 1–3–5–♭7–9 built on B♭. See and hear it on all three instruments below.
On guitar
x-1-0-1-1-1 · open · medium
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F · A♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- x-1-0-1-1-1
B♭9 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · B♭–D–F–A♭–C · right hand 1-2-3-4-5
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F · A♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
B♭9 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
3-2-4-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F · A♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- 3-2-4-3
B♭9 and the chords around it
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- B♭9 → E♭ (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below)
Guitar: B♭9 (x-1-0-1-1-1) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): the index finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the high E string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Listen for B♭, which stays put while the rest moves.
Piano: B♭9 to E♭: play E♭ in 2nd inversion (B♭–E♭–G) and B♭ stays under the same finger, while D moves up to E♭ and A♭ down to G. E♭ - B♭9 → E♭maj7 (I in E♭ major)
Guitar: B♭9 (x-1-0-1-1-1) to E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3): the index finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the B string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. B♭ and D carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: B♭9 to E♭maj7: play E♭maj7 in 2nd inversion (B♭–D–E♭–G) and B♭ and D stay under the same fingers, while F moves down to E♭ and A♭ down to G. E♭maj7 - B♭9 → Cm7 (vi in E♭ major)
Guitar: B♭9 (x-1-0-1-1-1) to Cm7 (x-3-5-3-4-3): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 3rd fret, your middle finger lands on the B string, 4th fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 5th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share B♭ and C, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: B♭9 to Cm7: play Cm7 in 1st inversion (E♭–G–B♭–C) and C stays under the same finger, while D moves up to E♭, A♭ down to G and A♭ up to B♭. Cm7
Guitar with a capo: capo 6, E9 shape.
How B♭9 is built
B♭9 is a dominant ninth: B♭7 with the ninth on top. It has the pull of a seventh chord with a funkier, fuller color, and like B♭7 it leans toward E♭.
Count keys (black and white) from B♭: 4 half steps up to D, 3 half steps up to F, 3 half steps up to A♭ then 4 half steps up to C. A♯9 is the other spelling of the same chord.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | root | 0 | |
| D | major third | 4 | |
| F | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| A♭ | minor seventh | 10 | |
| C | ninth | 14 |
Keys and progressions with B♭9
B♭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 B♭9
- B♭9 is B♭7 plus C. B♭7
Chords that share most of their notes with B♭9: Dm7♭5, Fm6, B♭7, B♭add9, Ddim, Fm.
Every B♭ chord
B♭9 chord: questions
What notes are in the B♭9 chord?
B♭, D, F, A♭ and C. B♭9 is built 1–3–5–♭7–9 from B♭: D is the major third, F is the perfect fifth, A♭ is the minor seventh and C is the ninth.
How do you play B♭9 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-1-0-1-1-1 (open). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play B♭9 on piano?
Play B♭, D, F, A♭ and C with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-4-5. B♭ sits on the last black key of the group of three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play B♭9 on ukulele?
3-2-4-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is B♭9 in?
B♭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 B♭9 and B♭7?
B♭9 is B♭7 plus C.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes B♭, D, F, A♭ and C and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.