B9 chord on piano
B9 is B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯. You'll find B just right of the group of three black keys (a white key). Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.
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
How to play B9 on piano
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♯. Press the 5 keys together and that's B9.
- Right hand: 1 on B, 2 on D♯, 3 on F♯, 4 on A and 5 on C♯.
- Left hand: 5 on B, 4 on D♯, 3 on F♯, 2 on A and 1 on C♯.
- On the keyboard it's white, black, black, white and black keys.
Two ways to voice B9
- root position: B–D♯–F♯–A–C♯. Right hand 1-2-3-4-5.
- close voicing: B–C♯–D♯–F♯–A. Right hand 1-2-3-4-5.
The close voicing folds the ninth down next to the root, which fits under one hand; the spread voicing sounds wider.
B9 chord changes
These are the changes you'll meet most often with B9, using the first shape of each chord.
- E (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): B9 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 on piano
- Emaj7 (I in E major): B9 to Emaj7: play Emaj7 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♯. Emaj7 on piano
- C♯m7 (vi in E major): B9 to C♯m7: play C♯m7 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. C♯m7 on piano
B9 is a dominant ninth: B7 with the ninth on top. B9 is the funk and soul version of B7, fuller on top and still pulling toward its resolution. On piano you hear it best with the keys pressed together, then rolled.
Practice B9 in two minutes
Play B9 broken, one key at a time: B, D♯, F♯, A, C♯, A, F♯, D♯, B. Then press the keys together and check that all 5 sound at the same volume.
The keys of B9
B9 is a dominant ninth chord, 1–3–5–♭7–9 from B. Root position, from the bottom: how B9 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| D♯ | black key | RH 2 · LH 4 | major third |
| F♯ | black key | RH 3 · LH 3 | perfect fifth |
| A | white key | RH 4 · LH 2 | minor seventh |
| C♯ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | ninth |
Where B9 shows up
B9 on guitar and ukulele
Switching instruments? Try B9 on ukulele or B9 on guitar, or compare them on the B9 chord page.
Related B chords on piano
Other dominant ninth chords
B9 on piano: questions
What notes are in B9 on piano?
B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯: B (white key), D♯ (black key), F♯ (black key), A (white key) and C♯ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-4-5, left hand 5-4-3-2-1.
How do you play B9 on piano?
Press B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯ together (3 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on B, 2 on D♯, 3 on F♯, 4 on A and 5 on C♯.
What are the inversions of B9?
B9 is usually played in root position (B–D♯–F♯–A–C♯) or as a close voicing (B–C♯–D♯–F♯–A).
What does B9 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, black, white and black keys.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes B, D♯, F♯, A and C♯ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.