Chords
Ab m9#5
Ab · Cb · Fb · Gb · Bb
Ab m9#5 (Abm9#5) is a minor chord of 5 notes: Ab · Cb · Fb · Gb · Bb.
Ab m9#5
Ab · Cb · Fb · Gb · Bb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · Cb3 · Fb4 · Gb4 · Bb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Cb3 · Gb3 · Ab3 · Fb4 · Bb4 | |
| Shell | Ab3 · Cb3 · Gb4 | |
| Rootless | Cb3 · Fb4 · Gb4 · Bb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab m9#5 (Abm9#5) contains the notes Ab · Cb · Fb · 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 m9#5 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 m9#5 belongs to.
In which keys
Ab m9#5 is diatonic to 2 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 m9#5 fits inside these scales, each built on Ab.
- Ab MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · 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 m9#5 chord
Names and symbols
Abm9#5 is the chord symbol for Ab m9#5.
Ab m9#5 and G# m9#5 are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. G# m9#5
Common questions
- What notes are in the Ab m9#5 chord?
- The Ab m9#5 chord contains the notes Ab · Cb · Fb · Gb · Bb: the root Ab with the intervals 1P, 3m, 6m, 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 m9#5 chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab m9#5 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 6m, 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 m9#5 chord?
- On guitar the most common Ab m9#5 shape is 414100, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play Ab3 · Cb3 · Fb4 · 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.