Chords
Ab 9sus4
Ab · Db · Eb · Gb · Bb
Ab 9sus4 (Ab9sus4) is a other chord of 5 notes: Ab · Db · Eb · Gb · Bb.
Also written Ab9sus
Ab 9sus4
Ab · Db · Eb · Gb · Bb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · Db4 · Eb4 · Gb4 · Bb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Gb3 · Ab3 · Db4 · Eb4 · Bb4 | |
| Shell | Ab3 · Db4 · Gb4 | |
| Rootless | Db3 · Gb3 · Bb3 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab 9sus4 (Ab9sus4) contains the notes Ab · Db · Eb · Gb · 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 9sus4 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 9sus4 belongs to.
In which keys
Ab 9sus4 is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
- B majorVI9sus4Tonic
- G# minorI9sus4Tonic
- F# majorII9sus4Subdominant
- D# minorIV9sus4Subdominant
- Db majorV9sus4Dominant
- Bb minorVII9sus4Subdominant
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
Ab 9sus4 fits inside these scales, each built on Ab.
- Ab MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · Gb
- Ab DorianAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab MixolydianAb · Bb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab PiongioAb · Bb · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Mixolydian b6Ab · Bb · C · Db · Eb · Fb · Gb
- Ab BebopAb · Bb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · G
- Ab Bebop MinorAb · Bb · Cb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Minor BebopAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · Gb · G
Understanding the Ab 9sus4 chord
Names and symbols
Ab9sus4 is the chord symbol for Ab 9sus4; it is also written Ab9sus.
sus on its own means sus4, and 7sus means 7sus4. sus2 is sometimes written add9(no3), which names the same notes from another angle.
Ab 9sus4 and G# 9sus4 are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. G# 9sus4
Common questions
- What notes are in the Ab 9sus4 chord?
- The Ab 9sus4 chord contains the notes Ab · Db · Eb · Gb · Bb: the root Ab with the intervals 1P, 4P, 5P, 7m, 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 9sus4 chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab 9sus4 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 4P, 5P, 7m, 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.
- How do I play the Ab 9sus4 chord?
- On guitar the most common Ab 9sus4 shape is 411122, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play Ab3 · Db4 · Eb4 · Gb4 · Bb4 with the right hand, or move the root down into the left hand and keep the rest above it. Every shape on this page plays when you press it.