Piano chord
A♭ add9 chord
A♭add9 is a major chord with an added ninth: the root A♭, a major 3rd up to C, a perfect 5th up to E♭ and a major 9th up to B♭.
- Symbol
- A♭add9
- Notes
- A♭ – C – E♭ – B♭
Play it yourself
Tap A♭, C, E♭ and B♭ on the keys below, in any order.
- A♭
- C
- E♭
- B♭
Add9 chords are a major triad with the ninth added and no seventh. They keep the brightness of major but sound fuller and more modern.
Inversions of A♭add9
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
A♭ – C – E♭ – B♭
- 1st inversion · A♭add9/C
C – E♭ – B♭ – A♭
- 2nd inversion · A♭add9/E♭
E♭ – B♭ – A♭ – C
- 3rd inversion · A♭add9/B♭
B♭ – A♭ – C – E♭
Keys with A♭add9
A♭add9 doesn't occur naturally in a major or natural minor key. It's used as a colour chord, borrowed or altered.