A♭ minor ninth (A♭m9) chord on guitar

Looking for the A♭m9 chord on guitar? It is a minor ninth chord (a minor seventh plus a major ninth), made of five notes: A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭ – B♭. The same chord with a different spelling: G♯ minor ninth (G♯m9).

Dots show:

Easy versioneasy

Open positionmedium

Position 9medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the A♭m9 chord sounds like

A minor ninth is a minor seventh with an added major ninth: soft and warm, typical of R&B and neo-soul.

Notes of the A♭m9 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A♭	root
3	C♭	minor third (3 semitones)
5	E♭	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	G♭	minor seventh (10 semitones)
9	B♭	major second (2 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Easy version

String 1 (e): not played
String 2 (B): open (C♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 3, index finger (B♭3)
String 4 (D): fret 4, ring finger (G♭3)
String 5 (A): not played
String 6 (E): fret 4, middle finger (A♭2)

Open position, barre at fret 1

String 1 (e): fret 2, middle finger (G♭4)
String 2 (B): open (C♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 3, ring finger (B♭3)
String 4 (D): fret 1, index finger (E♭3)
String 5 (A): fret 1, index finger (B♭2)
String 6 (E): fret 4, little finger (A♭2)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 1; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 9

String 1 (e): fret 11, little finger (E♭5)
String 2 (B): fret 11, little finger (B♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 11, little finger (G♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 9, index finger (C♭4)
String 5 (A): fret 11, ring finger (A♭3)
String 6 (E): not played

Tuning: E A D G B E (low to high). String 6 is the thickest, the low E. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Playing A♭m9 with a capo

A capo clamps all the strings at one fret, so a familiar open shape sounds higher. You can also get a A♭m9 chord with these open shapes:

Capo: fret 4
shape: Em9

Rework a whole song for a capo: chord transposer →

Which keys is it in?

The A♭m9 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

E♭ minor: iv9 (subdominant)
G♭ major: ii9

Similar chords and substitutes

If A♭m9 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

B – relative major: two shared notes
E – the major chord a major third below: two shared notes
A♭m7 – a fuller, softer minor colour

Simpler versions

A♭m7 – all 4 of its notes are in this chord
A♭m – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
A♭sus2 – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
A♭5 – all 2 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A♭m9 chord?

A♭, C♭, E♭, G♭, B♭. The root is A♭; the intervals of the other notes from the root: minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, major second.

What is the easiest way to play A♭m9 on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Easy version”, rated easy. We show 3 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck. With a capo you can also play it as a Em9 shape at fret 4.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some A♭m9 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 5-note chord. The fifth (E♭) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

How is the A♭m9 chord written?

The chord symbol is A♭m9 (also written Abm9), and its full name is A♭ minor ninth.