Ninth Chords

Let’s look at how to play an A flat 9 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other ninth chord.

What Are Ninth Chords?

A ninth chord is a major chord with two added notes. The added notes are the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step, and the ninth note of the scale.

So to build a ninth chord, we’ll start by building a major chord. Major chords are built using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

Next we’ll find the seventh note of the matching major scale, lower it 1/2 step, and add it to the chord.

Then we’ll add the ninth note of the scale to the chord. Since scales only have eight notes, we can find the ninth by repeating the scale into the next octave. It’s basically the same note as the second note of the scale, but one octave up.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

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How to Play an A Flat 9 Chord

Now let’s build an A flat 9 chord. We’ll start by building an A flat major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the A flat major scale: A♭ – C – E♭

Then we’ll find the seventh note of the scale, lower it 1/2 step, and add it to the chord: G♭

Next we’ll repeat the scale into the next octave to find the ninth, which is B♭

So to play an A flat 9 chord, we’ll play:

A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭

Now you know how to play an A flat 9 chord on the piano, and you can use this pattern to build any other ninth chord! First build a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then find the seventh note of the scale, lower it 1/2 step, and add it to the chord. Then repeat the scale into the next octave to find the ninth note, and add it to the chord.

Fingering

Ninth chords sound really pretty, but you probably can’t reach all those notes with your right hand only.

You can re-arrange them if you want, by moving the B♭ back down to the position of a second. Or you can play the A♭ with your left hand and the other notes with your right.

If you move the B♭ down to the position of a second, you’ll need to play both the A♭ and B♭ with your thumb at an angle, and play the other notes with fingers 2 – 3 – 5 (thumbs are 1’s).

If you play the A♭ with your left hand and the other notes with your right, you can use fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 to play the C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭.

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types you can learn are:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to play an A flat 9 chord on the piano, and you can use this knowledge to build any other ninth chord! Using chords to learn the piano is lots of fun, and chords provide a wonderful way to be creative!