Piano chord · also written G♯9

A♭ Dominant 9th Piano Chord (A♭9)

The A♭ Dominant 9th chord on piano is made of the notes A♭, C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. Funky and jazzy. A dominant 7th with an added 9th.

A♭ Dominant 9th chord on a piano keyboard: A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭ C5C6 A♭ C E♭ G♭ B♭

A♭9 A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭

Tap any key to hear it.

Name any chord from its keys in the chord finder →

What notes are in A♭ Dominant 9th?

5 notes, built 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9 up from A♭.

Notes
A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭
Formula
1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9
Semitones from the root
0 – 4 – 7 – 10 – 14
Symbol
A♭9
Same keys as
G♯9 (G♯ – B♯ – D♯ – F♯ – A♯)
Chord type
Dominant 9th, 5 notes

How to play A♭ Dominant 9th on piano

A♭ Dominant 9th spans more than an octave, so it is usually split between the hands.

  • Left hand: A♭ and E♭ (fingers 5 and 1).
  • Right hand: C, G♭, B♭ (fingers 1, 3 and 5).
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A♭ Dominant 9th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: A♭9/C, A♭9/E♭, A♭9/G♭.

A♭ Dominant 9th root position on piano: A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭ A♭ C E♭ G♭ B♭
Root position A♭9 A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭
A♭ Dominant 9th 1st inversion on piano: C, E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ C E♭ G♭ A♭ B♭
1st inversion A♭9/C C – E♭ – G♭ – A♭ – B♭
A♭ Dominant 9th 2nd inversion on piano: E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭, C E♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C
2nd inversion A♭9/E♭ E♭ – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C
A♭ Dominant 9th 3rd inversion on piano: G♭, A♭, B♭, C, E♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C E♭
3rd inversion A♭9/G♭ G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C – E♭

Progressions with A♭ Dominant 9th

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

ii–V–I

in D♭ major

  1. ii7 E♭m7
  2. V9 A♭9
  3. Imaj7 D♭maj7
ii–V–I in D♭ major: E♭m7, A♭9, D♭maj7 D♭ E♭ G♭ B♭

Minor cadence

in C♯ minor

  1. i C♯m
  2. iv F♯m
  3. V9 A♭9
  4. i C♯m
Minor cadence in C♯ minor: C♯m, F♯m, A♭9, C♯m C♯ E G♯

Can you find A♭ Dominant 9th?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of A♭ Dominant 9th (A♭9)

Score 0

Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is A♭ Dominant 9th in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of A♭9, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • D♭ majorV9

Minor keys

  • C♯ minorV9 (harmonic minor)
  • B♭ minorVII9

A♭ Dominant 9th chord FAQ

What notes are in the A♭ Dominant 9th chord?

A♭ Dominant 9th (A♭9) has 5 notes: A♭, C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. Its formula is 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 – 9, counted up from A♭.

How do you play A♭ Dominant 9th on the piano?

Spread it over two hands: the left hand plays A♭ and E♭ (fingers 5 and 1), the right hand plays C, G♭, B♭ (fingers 1, 3 and 5).

Is A♭ Dominant 9th the same as G♯ Dominant 9th?

On the piano, yes: G♯9 (G♯, B♯, D♯, F♯, A♯) uses exactly the same keys as A♭9 (A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭). Which name is used depends on the key of the piece; A♭9 is the more common spelling.

What are the inversions of A♭ Dominant 9th?

1st inversion: C, E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ (A♭9/C). 2nd inversion: E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭, C (A♭9/E♭). 3rd inversion: G♭, A♭, B♭, C, E♭ (A♭9/G♭).

What key is A♭ Dominant 9th in?

A♭9 belongs to D♭ major (V9) and B♭ minor (VII9).

Other A♭ chords

Dominant 9th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open A♭9 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano