Chords
Ab Sixth added ninth
Ab · C · Eb · F · Bb
The 6/9 chord — a major triad with both a sixth and a ninth, and no seventh at all.
Also written Ab6add9 · Ab69 · AbM69
Ab Sixth added ninth
Ab · C · Eb · F · Bb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · C4 · Eb4 · F4 · Bb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | F3 · Ab3 · C4 · Eb4 · Bb4 | |
| Shell | Ab3 · C4 · F4 | |
| Rootless | C4 · Eb4 · F#4 · Bb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab Sixth added ninth (Ab6/9) contains the notes Ab · C · Eb · F · Bb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of Ab Sixth added ninth puts a chord tone other than Ab in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Ab Sixth added ninth belongs to.
In which keys
Ab Sixth added ninth is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
- Db majorV6/9Dominant
- Bb minorVII6/9Subdominant
- Ab majorI6/9Tonic
- F minorIII6/9Tonic
- Eb majorIV6/9Subdominant
- C minorVI6/9Subdominant
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
Ab Sixth added ninth fits inside these scales, each built on Ab.
- Ab Major BluesAb · Bb · Cb · C · Eb · F
- Ab MajorAb · Bb · C · Db · Eb · F · G
- Ab LydianAb · Bb · C · D · Eb · F · G
- Ab MixolydianAb · Bb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Lydian DominantAb · Bb · C · D · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab BebopAb · Bb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · G
- Ab Bebop MinorAb · Bb · Cb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Bebop MajorAb · Bb · C · Db · Eb · E · F · G
Understanding the Ab Sixth added ninth chord
Names and symbols
Ab6/9 is the chord symbol for Ab Sixth added ninth; it is also written Ab6add9, Ab69, AbM69.
6add9, 6/9 and 69 all mean the sixth chord with an added ninth; the slash in 6/9 is not a bass note.
Ab Sixth added ninth and G# Sixth added ninth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. G# Sixth added ninth
How it is built
On Ab it is Ab · C · Eb · F · Bb, stacking 1P · 3M · 5P · 6M · 9M. Two added colour tones, no seventh, so nothing in the chord pulls anywhere.
How it is used
It is the most restful rich chord there is: complex enough to sound deliberate, stable enough to end on. Bossa nova and West Coast jazz close on it constantly, and guitarists reach for it as the final chord of a ballad.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Ab6/9?
- Ab6/9 contains Ab · C · Eb · F · Bb. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- Why is a 6/9 chord so stable?
- It has no seventh and therefore no tritone. Both added notes are consonant, so the chord is coloured without being directional.
- Where is 6/9 used?
- As a final chord in bossa nova, jazz ballads and West Coast writing, where it sounds finished without sounding plain.
- What notes are in the Ab Sixth added ninth chord?
- The Ab Sixth added ninth chord contains the notes Ab · C · Eb · F · Bb: the root Ab with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 6M, 9M stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Ab, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Ab Sixth added ninth chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab Sixth added ninth chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 6M, 9M. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.