A♭ / G♯ major ninth
How to play A♭maj9 — Major ninth
A♭maj9 (Major ninth)A♭ · C · E♭ · G · B♭
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
A♭ / G♯ major ninth — notes and structure
The A♭maj9 chord is a major seventh chord with the ninth added — rich and dreamy.
The A♭maj9 major ninth consists of the notes A♭, C, E♭, G, B♭. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7–9 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
A♭maj9 stacks a major third (C), a perfect fifth (E♭), a major seventh (G) and a ninth (B♭) above the root A♭.
The finder shows 2 ways to play A♭maj9 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 12th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
What key is A♭maj9 in?
Every note of A♭maj9 belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- E♭ major — the IV chord
- A♭ major — the I chord
- C minor — the VI chord
- F minor — the III chord
Chords that go with A♭maj9
In E♭ major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put A♭maj9 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the A♭ / G♯ major ninth chord?
- The A♭maj9 chord contains the notes A♭, C, E♭, G, B♭. It is a major seventh chord with the ninth added — rich and dreamy.
- How many ways can you play A♭maj9 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is A♭maj9 a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
- What key does A♭maj9 belong to?
- A♭maj9 fits E♭ major (where it is the IV chord), A♭ major (where it is the I chord), C minor (where it is the VI chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.