Chords
Gb Sixth added ninth
Gb · Bb · Db · Eb · Ab
The 6/9 chord — a major triad with both a sixth and a ninth, and no seventh at all.
Also written Gb6add9 · Gb69 · GbM69
Gb Sixth added ninth
Gb · Bb · Db · Eb · Ab
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Gb3 · Bb3 · Db4 · Eb4 · Ab4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Eb3 · Gb3 · Bb3 · Db4 · Ab4 | |
| Shell | Gb3 · Bb3 · Eb4 | |
| Rootless | Bb3 · Db4 · E4 · Ab4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Gb Sixth added ninth (Gb6/9) contains the notes Gb · Bb · Db · Eb · Ab, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of Gb Sixth added ninth puts a chord tone other than Gb in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Gb Sixth added ninth belongs to.
In which keys
Gb Sixth added ninth is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
- B majorV6/9Dominant
- G# minorVII6/9Subdominant
- F# majorI6/9Tonic
- D# minorIII6/9Tonic
- Db majorIV6/9Subdominant
- Bb minorVI6/9Subdominant
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
Gb Sixth added ninth fits inside these scales, each built on Gb.
- Gb MajorGb · Ab · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F
- Gb LydianGb · Ab · Bb · C · Db · Eb · F
- Gb MixolydianGb · Ab · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb
- Gb Lydian DominantGb · Ab · Bb · C · Db · Eb · Fb
- Gb BebopGb · Ab · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · F
- Gb Bebop MajorGb · Ab · Bb · Cb · Db · D · Eb · F
Understanding the Gb Sixth added ninth chord
Names and symbols
Gb6/9 is the chord symbol for Gb Sixth added ninth; it is also written Gb6add9, Gb69, GbM69.
6add9, 6/9 and 69 all mean the sixth chord with an added ninth; the slash in 6/9 is not a bass note.
Gb Sixth added ninth and F# Sixth added ninth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. F# Sixth added ninth
How it is built
On Gb it is Gb · Bb · Db · Eb · Ab, stacking 1P · 3M · 5P · 6M · 9M. Two added colour tones, no seventh, so nothing in the chord pulls anywhere.
How it is used
It is the most restful rich chord there is: complex enough to sound deliberate, stable enough to end on. Bossa nova and West Coast jazz close on it constantly, and guitarists reach for it as the final chord of a ballad.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Gb6/9?
- Gb6/9 contains Gb · Bb · Db · Eb · Ab. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- Why is a 6/9 chord so stable?
- It has no seventh and therefore no tritone. Both added notes are consonant, so the chord is coloured without being directional.
- Where is 6/9 used?
- As a final chord in bossa nova, jazz ballads and West Coast writing, where it sounds finished without sounding plain.
- What notes are in the Gb Sixth added ninth chord?
- The Gb Sixth added ninth chord contains the notes Gb · Bb · Db · Eb · Ab: the root Gb with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 6M, 9M stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Gb, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Gb Sixth added ninth chord?
- Measured from Gb, the Gb Sixth added ninth chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 6M, 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.