Chords
Ab Minor ninth
Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb · Bb
The minor ninth chord — a m7 with a major ninth added. The signature sound of neo-soul.
Also written Ab-9
Ab Minor ninth
Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb · Bb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · Cb3 · Eb4 · Gb4 · Bb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Cb3 · Gb3 · Ab3 · Eb4 · Bb4 | |
| Shell | Ab3 · Cb3 · Gb4 | |
| Rootless | Cb3 · Gb4 · Bb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab Minor ninth (Abm9) contains the notes Ab · Cb · 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 Minor 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 Minor ninth belongs to.
In which keys
Ab Minor ninth is diatonic to 4 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
Ab Minor ninth 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 Dorian #4Ab · Bb · Cb · D · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Bebop MinorAb · Bb · Cb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Minor BebopAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · Gb · G
- Ab Messiaen's Mode #3Ab · Bb · Cb · C · D · Eb · Fb · Gb · G
Understanding the Ab Minor ninth chord
Names and symbols
Abm9 is the chord symbol for Ab Minor ninth; it is also written Ab-9.
add9, 9 and maj9 are three different chords. add9 adds a ninth to a plain triad with no seventh; 9 is a dominant seventh with a ninth; maj9 is a major seventh with a ninth.
Ab Minor ninth and G# Minor ninth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. G# Minor ninth
How it is built
On Ab it is Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb · Bb, stacking 1P · 3m · 5P · 7m · 9M. A minor seventh chord with one more third stacked above.
How it is used
As the ii of a ii–V–I it is the standard upgrade from m7. As a standing chord over a groove it is what a great deal of R&B, neo-soul and lo-fi is built on: rich, stable, and content to loop.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Abm9?
- Abm9 contains Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb · Bb. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- How is m9 different from m7?
- It adds the major ninth. The chord keeps its minor quality and gains width.
- Why does m9 sound so smooth?
- It contains no tritone and no semitone clashes between adjacent voices, so all five notes sit together without friction.
- What notes are in the Ab Minor ninth chord?
- The Ab Minor ninth chord contains the notes Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb · Bb: the root Ab with the intervals 1P, 3m, 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 Minor ninth chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab Minor ninth chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 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.