Chords
Bb Minor ninth
Bb · Db · F · Ab · C
The minor ninth chord — a m7 with a major ninth added. The signature sound of neo-soul.
Also written Bb-9
Bb Minor ninth
Bb · Db · F · Ab · C
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Bb3 · Db4 · F4 · Ab4 · C5 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Ab3 · Bb3 · Db4 · F4 · C5 | |
| Shell | Bb3 · Db4 · Ab4 | |
| Rootless | Db3 · Ab3 · C4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Bb Minor ninth (Bbm9) contains the notes Bb · Db · F · Ab · C, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of Bb Minor ninth puts a chord tone other than Bb in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Bb Minor ninth belongs to.
In which keys
Bb 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
Bb Minor ninth fits inside these scales, each built on Bb.
- Bb MinorBb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab
- Bb DorianBb · C · Db · Eb · F · G · Ab
- Bb Dorian #4Bb · C · Db · E · F · G · Ab
- Bb Bebop MinorBb · C · Db · D · Eb · F · G · Ab
- Bb Minor BebopBb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · A
- Bb Composite BluesBb · C · Db · D · Eb · Fb · F · G · Ab
- Bb Messiaen's Mode #3Bb · C · Db · D · E · F · Gb · Ab · A
Understanding the Bb Minor ninth chord
Names and symbols
Bbm9 is the chord symbol for Bb Minor ninth; it is also written Bb-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.
Bb Minor ninth and A# Minor ninth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. A# Minor ninth
How it is built
On Bb it is Bb · Db · F · Ab · C, 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 Bbm9?
- Bbm9 contains Bb · Db · F · Ab · C. 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 Bb Minor ninth chord?
- The Bb Minor ninth chord contains the notes Bb · Db · F · Ab · C: the root Bb 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 Bb, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Bb Minor ninth chord?
- Measured from Bb, the Bb 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.