Major Ninth Chords

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

What Are Major Ninth Chords?

Major ninth chords are major chords with two added notes. The added notes are the seventh and ninth notes of the matching major scale.

So to build a major 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 (learn how to build a major scale here).

Next we’ll add the seventh note of the matching major scale to the chord.

Then we’ll add the ninth note of the scale to the chord. Since scales only have eight notes, we’ll repeat the scale into the next octave to find the ninth note. It’s the same 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 a B Flat Major Ninth Chord

To build a B flat major ninth chord, we’ll start with a B flat major chord. We can build a B flat major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the B flat major scale: B♭ – D – F

Then we’ll add the seventh note of the scale to the chord: A

Then we’ll repeat the scale into the next octave to find the ninth note: C

So to play a B flat major ninth chord, we’ll play:

B♭ – D – F – A – C

We can use this pattern to build any other major ninth chord! First we’ll build a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then we’ll add the seventh note of the scale to the chord. Then we’ll repeat the scale into the next octave to find the ninth note and add it to the chord.

Chord Fingering

You probably can’t reach all these notes in this order with your right hand, so you have a few options. One option would be to play the B flat with your left hand and play the D – F – A – C with your right hand using fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 (thumbs are 1’s).

Another option would be to play the B flat with your left hand, and move the C down to the position of a second. Then you’d play C – D – F – A with your right hand using fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5.

Other Chord Types

Some other chord types you can learn are:

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

Conclusion

Now you know how to play a B flat major ninth chord on the piano, and you can use this knowledge to build any other major ninth chord!

Using chords to learn the piano is a lot of fun! And now you have another chord type to add to your options!