Piano chord · also written A♯maj9

B♭ Major 9th Piano Chord (B♭maj9)

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

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

B♭maj9 B♭ – D – F – A – C

Tap any key to hear it.

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

How to play B♭ Major 9th on piano

B♭ Major 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♭ Major 9th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: B♭maj9/D, B♭maj9/F, B♭maj9/A.

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

Progressions with B♭ Major 9th

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

Pop progression

in B♭ major

  1. Imaj9 B♭maj9
  2. V7 F7
  3. vi7 Gm7
  4. IVmaj7 E♭maj7
Pop progression in B♭ major: B♭maj9, F7, Gm7, E♭maj7 B♭ D F A C

Three-chord classic

in F major

  1. Imaj7 Fmaj7
  2. IVmaj9 B♭maj9
  3. V7 C7
  4. Imaj7 Fmaj7
Three-chord classic in F major: Fmaj7, B♭maj9, C7, Fmaj7 C E F A

Can you find B♭ Major 9th?

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

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

Score 0

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

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is B♭ Major 9th in?

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

Major keys

  • B♭ majorImaj9
  • F majorIVmaj9

Minor keys

  • G minorIIImaj9
  • D minorVImaj9

B♭ Major 9th chord FAQ

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

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

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

What are the inversions of B♭ Major 9th?

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

What key is B♭ Major 9th in?

B♭maj9 belongs to B♭ major (Imaj9), F major (IVmaj9), G minor (IIImaj9) and D minor (VImaj9).

Other B♭ chords

Major 9th chords on every root

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