Piano chord · also written A♯9

B♭ Dominant 9th Piano Chord (B♭9)

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

B♭ Dominant 9th chord on a piano keyboard: B♭, D, F, A♭, C C5C6 B♭ D F A♭ C

B♭9 B♭ – D – F – A♭ – C

Tap any key to hear it.

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What notes are in B♭ Dominant 9th?

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

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

How to play B♭ Dominant 9th on piano

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

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

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: B♭9/D, B♭9/F, B♭9/A♭.

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

Progressions with B♭ Dominant 9th

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

ii–V–I

in E♭ major

  1. ii7 Fm7
  2. V9 B♭9
  3. Imaj7 E♭maj7
ii–V–I in E♭ major: Fm7, B♭9, E♭maj7 C E♭ F A♭

Minor cadence

in E♭ minor

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

Can you find B♭ Dominant 9th?

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

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

Score 0

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

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is B♭ Dominant 9th in?

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

Major keys

  • E♭ majorV9

Minor keys

  • E♭ minorV9 (harmonic minor)
  • C minorVII9

B♭ Dominant 9th chord FAQ

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

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

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

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

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

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

What are the inversions of B♭ Dominant 9th?

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

What key is B♭ Dominant 9th in?

B♭9 belongs to E♭ major (V9) and C minor (VII9).

Other B♭ chords

Dominant 9th chords on every root

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