Chords
Bb m9#5
Bb · Db · Gb · Ab · C
Bb m9#5 (Bbm9#5) is a minor chord of 5 notes: Bb · Db · Gb · Ab · C.
Bb m9#5
Bb · Db · Gb · Ab · C
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Bb3 · Db4 · Gb4 · Ab4 · C5 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Ab3 · Bb3 · Db4 · Gb4 · C5 | |
| Shell | Bb3 · Db4 · Ab4 | |
| Rootless | Db3 · Gb3 · Ab3 · C4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Bb m9#5 (Bbm9#5) contains the notes Bb · Db · Gb · 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 m9#5 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 m9#5 belongs to.
In which keys
Bb 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
Bb m9#5 fits inside these scales, each built on Bb.
- Bb MinorBb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab
- Bb Locrian #2Bb · C · Db · Eb · Fb · Gb · Ab
- Bb Minor BebopBb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · A
- Bb Messiaen's Mode #3Bb · C · Db · D · E · F · Gb · Ab · A
Understanding the Bb m9#5 chord
Names and symbols
Bbm9#5 is the chord symbol for Bb m9#5.
Bb m9#5 and A# m9#5 are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. A# m9#5
Common questions
- What notes are in the Bb m9#5 chord?
- The Bb m9#5 chord contains the notes Bb · Db · Gb · Ab · C: the root Bb 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 Bb, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Bb m9#5 chord?
- Measured from Bb, the Bb 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 Bb m9#5 chord?
- On guitar the most common Bb m9#5 shape is 644574, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play Bb3 · Db4 · Gb4 · Ab4 · C5 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.