B♭9 chord on piano
B♭9 is B♭, D, F, A♭ and C. B♭ is the last black key of the group of three. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.
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 B♭9 on piano
Start on B♭, count 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 B♭9.
- 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 black, white, white, black and white keys.
Two ways to voice B♭9
- 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.
Changing from B♭9 to the chords around it
Songs rarely hold B♭9 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.
- E♭ (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): 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♭ on piano
- E♭maj7 (I in E♭ major): 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 on piano
- Cm7 (vi in E♭ major): 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 on piano
B♭9 is a dominant ninth: B♭7 with the ninth on top. B♭9 is the funk and soul version of B♭7, fuller on top and still pulling toward its resolution. Play it solid and then broken to hear the difference.
A short B♭9 drill
Roll the chord up and back down, B♭, D, F, A♭, C, A♭, F, D, B♭, before playing it as a block.
The keys of B♭9
B♭9 is a dominant ninth chord, 1–3–5–♭7–9 from B♭. Root position, from the bottom: how B♭9 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| D | white key | RH 2 · LH 4 | major third |
| F | white key | RH 3 · LH 3 | perfect fifth |
| A♭ | black key | RH 4 · LH 2 | minor seventh |
| C | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | ninth |
You may also see it as A♯9; nothing changes on the piano.
B♭9 in context
B♭9 on guitar and ukulele
B♭9 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 5 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Next to try on piano
Other dominant ninth chords
B♭9 on piano: questions
What notes are in B♭9 on piano?
B♭, D, F, A♭ and C: B♭ (black key), D (white key), F (white key), A♭ (black key) and C (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-4-5, left hand 5-4-3-2-1.
How do you play B♭9 on piano?
Press B♭, D, F, A♭ and C together (2 black, 3 white). Right hand: 1 on B♭, 2 on D, 3 on F, 4 on A♭ and 5 on C.
What are the inversions of B♭9?
B♭9 is usually played in root position (B♭–D–F–A♭–C) or as a close voicing (B♭–C–D–F–A♭).
What does B♭9 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, white, black and white keys.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes B♭, D, F, A♭ and C and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.