Chords
Bb Major ninth
Bb · D · F · A · C
The major ninth chord — a maj7 with a ninth on top. The most luxuriant of the stable chords.
Also written BbΔ9 · Bb^9
Bb Major ninth
Bb · D · F · A · C
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Bb3 · D4 · F4 · A4 · C5 | |
| Open (drop 2) | A3 · Bb3 · D4 · F4 · C5 | |
| Shell | Bb3 · D4 · A4 | |
| Rootless | D3 · A3 · C4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Bb Major ninth (Bbmaj9) contains the notes Bb · D · F · A · 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 Major 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 Major ninth belongs to.
In which keys
Bb Major 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 Major ninth fits inside these scales, each built on Bb.
- Bb MajorBb · C · D · Eb · F · G · A
- Bb LydianBb · C · D · E · F · G · A
- Bb Harmonic MajorBb · C · D · Eb · F · Gb · A
- Bb BebopBb · C · D · Eb · F · G · Ab · A
- Bb Bebop MajorBb · C · D · Eb · F · F# · G · A
- Bb IchikosuchoBb · C · D · Eb · Fb · F · G · A
- Bb Messiaen's Mode #3Bb · C · Db · D · E · F · Gb · Ab · A
Understanding the Bb Major ninth chord
Names and symbols
Bbmaj9 is the chord symbol for Bb Major ninth; it is also written BbΔ9, 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.
How it is built
On Bb it is Bb · D · F · A · C, stacking 1P · 3M · 5P · 7M · 9M. It is the maj7 with one more third added above.
How it is used
Neo-soul, bossa nova and modern gospel use it as the tonic. It carries the same stability as a maj7 with more air, and because it contains no tritone it never insists on going anywhere.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Bbmaj9?
- Bbmaj9 contains Bb · D · F · A · C. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What is the difference between maj9 and add9?
- The seventh. maj9 includes the major seventh; add9 adds the ninth to a plain triad and leaves the seventh out.
- Which voicing is usual?
- Pianists commonly drop the fifth and often the root, voicing third, seventh and ninth — enough to state the chord without crowding it.
- What notes are in the Bb Major ninth chord?
- The Bb Major ninth chord contains the notes Bb · D · F · A · 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 Major ninth chord?
- Measured from Bb, the Bb 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.