Chords
Ab Minor/major ninth
Ab · Cb · Eb · G · Bb
Ab Minor/major ninth (AbmMaj9) is a minor chord of 5 notes: Ab · Cb · Eb · G · Bb.
Also written AbmM9 · Ab-^9
Ab Minor/major ninth
Ab · Cb · Eb · G · Bb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · Cb3 · Eb4 · G4 · Bb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Cb3 · G3 · Ab3 · Eb4 · Bb4 | |
| Shell | Ab3 · Cb3 · G4 | |
| Rootless | Cb3 · G4 · Bb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab Minor/major ninth (AbmMaj9) contains the notes Ab · Cb · Eb · G · 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/major 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/major ninth belongs to.
In which keys
Ab Minor/major ninth is diatonic to 1 key; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
- G# minoriMaj9Tonic
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
Ab Minor/major ninth fits inside these scales, each built on Ab.
- Ab Melodic MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · G
- Ab Harmonic MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · G
- Ab Minor HexatonicAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · G
- Ab Lydian DiminishedAb · Bb · Cb · D · Eb · F · G
- Ab Hungarian MinorAb · Bb · Cb · D · Eb · Fb · G
- Ab Minor BebopAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · Gb · G
- Ab Minor Six DiminishedAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · F · G
- Ab Messiaen's Mode #3Ab · Bb · Cb · C · D · Eb · Fb · Gb · G
Understanding the Ab Minor/major ninth chord
Names and symbols
AbmMaj9 is the chord symbol for Ab Minor/major ninth; it is also written AbmM9, Ab-^9.
mMaj7, m/maj7, mΔ7, −Δ7 and mM7 all mean the minor-major seventh: a minor triad with a major seventh. Every spelling tries to say both qualities at once.
Common questions
- What notes are in the Ab Minor/major ninth chord?
- The Ab Minor/major ninth chord contains the notes Ab · Cb · Eb · G · 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/major ninth chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab Minor/major 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.
- How do I play the Ab Minor/major ninth chord?
- On guitar the most common Ab Minor/major ninth shape is 411003, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play Ab3 · Cb3 · Eb4 · G4 · 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.