Tools / Chords / A♭ minor 9th

A♭ minor 9th chord on guitar (A♭m9)

Also written A♭m9 or A♭

A♭ minor 9th contains A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭, and B♭. The 4th-fret barre demands a wide stretch from index to pinky.

4th fret4-6-4-4-4-6

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

A♭1Root

C♭♭3Minor 3rd

E♭5Perfect 5th

G♭♭7Minor 7th

B♭99th

Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, 9

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭–G♭–B♭A♭m9Bass A♭

First inversionC♭–E♭–G♭–B♭–A♭A♭m9/C♭Bass C♭

Second inversionE♭–G♭–B♭–A♭–C♭A♭m9/E♭Bass E♭

Third inversionG♭–B♭–A♭–C♭–E♭A♭m9/G♭Bass G♭

Fourth inversionB♭–A♭–C♭–E♭–G♭A♭m9/B♭Bass B♭

Why it sounds like that

A♭ minor 9th is built from 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7, and 9. The minor 7th gives the chord its mellow tension, while the 9th adds a bright color. Compare with A♭ minor 7th, which lacks the 9th.

What goes wrong with A♭ minor 9th?

The index barre buzzes on the 4th, 3rd, or 2nd string because it is not pressing evenly.
The pinky mutes the 1st string instead of fretting it cleanly at the 6th fret.
The ring finger flattens onto the 4th string, causing a muted D note.

When to use it

A♭ minor 9th works in the vi–IV–I–V progression in B major, where it is the vi chord. Use it in jazz ballads and neo-soul for its lush, extended minor color.

Changing to and from A♭ minor 9th

From A♭ minor 9th to B♭ minor 9th, slide the entire shape up two frets to the 6th fret.
From A♭ minor 9th to G minor 9th, slide the entire shape down one fret to the 3rd fret.

Which voicing to use

The 4th-fret voicing puts A♭ in the bass for a root-position sound. For a lighter feel, try the A♭m9/B inversion at the 6th fret, where C♭ in the bass softens the chord's weight.

How do you play an A♭ minor 9th chord on guitar?

4th fret

Barre● On the diagram

A♭ minor 9th is played at the 4th fret as 4 6 4 4 4 6: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the A string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 6.

Tip — The index barre must fret the 6th, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings cleanly while the pinky stretches to the 6th fret on the 1st string.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	4	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)
5 (A)	6	3	E♭ (5)
4 (D)	4	1 (barre)	G♭ (♭7)
3 (G)	4	1 (barre)	C♭ (♭3)
2 (B)	4	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
1 (e)	6	4	B♭ (9)

A♭m9/C♭ inversion

Barre

A♭ minor 9th is played at the 6th fret as 7 6 6 8 7 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the low E string at fret 7, pinky finger on the G string at fret 8 and ring finger on the B string at fret 7.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	7	2	C♭ (♭3)
5 (A)	6	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
4 (D)	6	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)
3 (G)	8	4	E♭ (5)
2 (B)	7	3	G♭ (♭7)
1 (e)	6	1 (barre)	B♭ (9)

A♭m9/G♭ inversion

Barre

A♭ minor 9th is played in open position as 2 1 1 1 0 ×: barre your index finger across fret 1 and pinky finger on the low E string at fret 2. The B string rings open. The high e string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	2	4	G♭ (♭7)
5 (A)	1	1 (barre)	B♭ (9)
4 (D)	1	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
3 (G)	1	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)
2 (B)	open	—	C♭ (♭3)
1 (e)	muted	—	—

A♭m9/B♭ inversion · open position

Barre

A♭ minor 9th is played in open position as × 1 1 1 0 2: barre your index finger across fret 1 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 2. The B string rings open. The low E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	1	1 (barre)	B♭ (9)
4 (D)	1	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
3 (G)	1	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)
2 (B)	open	—	C♭ (♭3)
1 (e)	2	4	G♭ (♭7)

A♭m9/B♭ inversion · fret 4

Barre

A♭ minor 9th is played at the 4th fret as 6 6 4 4 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the low E string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 6.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	6	3	B♭ (9)
5 (A)	6	4	E♭ (5)
4 (D)	4	1 (barre)	G♭ (♭7)
3 (G)	4	1 (barre)	C♭ (♭3)
2 (B)	4	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
1 (e)	4	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)

Common questions

How is A♭ minor 9th written?

A♭ minor 9th is written as A♭m9. The ASCII root is Ab, so you may see Abm9. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

What is the difference between A♭ minor 9th and A♭ minor 7th?

A♭ minor 9th adds a B♭ note to A♭ minor 7th. The B♭ is the 9th, which creates a more colorful and dissonant sound than the plain minor 7th.

Can A♭ minor 9th be played without a barre?

The 4th-fret voicing requires a full barre. However, the A♭m9/F♯ inversion at the 1st fret uses a partial barre and omits the 1st string, making it easier for some players.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

5 (A)

E♭ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

G♭ (♭7)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

C♭ (♭3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

1 (e)

B♭ (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

C♭ (♭3)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

3 (G)

E♭ (5)

2 (B)

G♭ (♭7)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

B♭ (9)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

G♭ (♭7)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

B♭ (9)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

2 (B)

open

—

C♭ (♭3)

1 (e)

muted

—

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

1 (barre)

B♭ (9)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

2 (B)

open

—

C♭ (♭3)

1 (e)

G♭ (♭7)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

B♭ (9)

5 (A)

E♭ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

G♭ (♭7)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

C♭ (♭3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)