Piano chord · also written G♯maj9

A♭ Major 9th Piano Chord (A♭maj9)

The A♭ Major 9th chord on piano is made of the notes A♭, C, E♭, G and B♭. Lush and sophisticated. A major 7th with an added 9th.

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

A♭maj9 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♭ Major 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 – 11 – 14
Symbol
A♭maj9
Same keys as
G♯maj9 (G♯ – B♯ – D♯ – G – A♯)
Chord type
Major 9th, 5 notes

How to play A♭ Major 9th on piano

A♭ Major 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♭ Major 9th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: A♭maj9/C, A♭maj9/E♭, A♭maj9/G.

A♭ Major 9th root position on piano: A♭, C, E♭, G, B♭ A♭ C E♭ G B♭
Root position A♭maj9 A♭ – C – E♭ – G – B♭
A♭ Major 9th 1st inversion on piano: C, E♭, G, A♭, B♭ C E♭ G A♭ B♭
1st inversion A♭maj9/C C – E♭ – G – A♭ – B♭
A♭ Major 9th 2nd inversion on piano: E♭, G, A♭, B♭, C E♭ G A♭ B♭ C
2nd inversion A♭maj9/E♭ E♭ – G – A♭ – B♭ – C
A♭ Major 9th 3rd inversion on piano: G, A♭, B♭, C, E♭ G A♭ B♭ C E♭
3rd inversion A♭maj9/G G – A♭ – B♭ – C – E♭

Progressions with A♭ Major 9th

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

Pop progression

in A♭ major

  1. Imaj9 A♭maj9
  2. V7 E♭7
  3. vi7 Fm7
  4. IVmaj7 D♭maj7
Pop progression in A♭ major: A♭maj9, E♭7, Fm7, D♭maj7 A♭ C E♭ G B♭

Three-chord classic

in E♭ major

  1. Imaj7 E♭maj7
  2. IVmaj9 A♭maj9
  3. V7 B♭7
  4. Imaj7 E♭maj7
Three-chord classic in E♭ major: E♭maj7, A♭maj9, B♭7, E♭maj7 B♭ D E♭ G

Can you find A♭ Major 9th?

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

1 / 6 Tap the notes of A♭ Major 9th (A♭maj9)

Score 0

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

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is A♭ Major 9th in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of A♭maj9, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • A♭ majorImaj9
  • E♭ majorIVmaj9

Minor keys

  • F minorIIImaj9
  • C minorVImaj9

A♭ Major 9th chord FAQ

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

A♭ Major 9th (A♭maj9) 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♭ Major 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♭ Major 9th the same as G♯ Major 9th?

On the piano, yes: G♯maj9 (G♯, B♯, D♯, G, A♯) uses exactly the same keys as A♭maj9 (A♭, C, E♭, G, B♭). Which name is used depends on the key of the piece; A♭maj9 is the more common spelling.

What are the inversions of A♭ Major 9th?

1st inversion: C, E♭, G, A♭, B♭ (A♭maj9/C). 2nd inversion: E♭, G, A♭, B♭, C (A♭maj9/E♭). 3rd inversion: G, A♭, B♭, C, E♭ (A♭maj9/G).

What key is A♭ Major 9th in?

A♭maj9 belongs to A♭ major (Imaj9), E♭ major (IVmaj9), F minor (IIImaj9) and C minor (VImaj9).

Other A♭ chords

Major 9th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open A♭maj9 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano