B♭ minor ninth (B♭m9) chord on guitar

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

Dots show:

Position 4medium

Barre, fret 6medium

Position 11medium

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 B♭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 B♭m9 chord

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

How to play it – with fingering

Position 4

String 1 (e): not played
String 2 (B): not played
String 3 (G): fret 5, middle finger (C4)
String 4 (D): fret 6, little finger (A♭3)
String 5 (A): fret 4, index finger (D♭3)
String 6 (E): fret 6, ring finger (B♭2)

Barre, fret 6, barre at fret 6

String 1 (e): fret 8, little finger (C5)
String 2 (B): fret 6, index finger (F4)
String 3 (G): fret 6, index finger (D♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 6, index finger (A♭3)
String 5 (A): fret 8, ring finger (F3)
String 6 (E): fret 6, index finger (B♭2)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 6; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 11

String 1 (e): fret 13, little finger (F5)
String 2 (B): fret 13, little finger (C5)
String 3 (G): fret 13, little finger (A♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 11, index finger (D♭4)
String 5 (A): fret 13, ring finger (B♭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 B♭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 B♭m9 chord with these open shapes:

Capo: fret 6
shape: Em9

Rework a whole song for a capo: chord transposer →

Which keys is it in?

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

B♭ minor: i9 (tonic)
F minor: iv9 (subdominant)
D♭ major: vi9
A♭ major: ii9

Similar chords and substitutes

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

Substitutes (by function)

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

Simpler versions

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

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the B♭m9 chord?

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

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

The easiest shape above is “Position 4”. 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 6.

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 B♭m9 shapes?

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

Why do some songbooks write H instead of B?

In German and Central European notation, H is the note B, and B is the note B♭. So a “B” chord in a German or Hungarian songbook is B♭ in English notation, and an “H” chord is B. Always check which notation your chord chart uses.