B minor ninth (Bm9) chord on piano

Minor ninth chord (a minor seventh plus a major ninth) on B: the notes of the Bm9 chord are B – D – F♯ – A – C♯.

Full chord: B3 – D4 – F♯4 – A4 – C♯5

What the Bm9 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 Bm9 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	B	root
3	D	minor third (3 semitones)
5	F♯	perfect fifth (7 semitones)
7	A	minor seventh (10 semitones)
9	C♯	major second (2 semitones)

Piano voicings

Chords with five or more notes are rarely played in one hand: the left hand takes the root, the right hand the colour notes. The fifth (and in an eleventh chord the third) is often left out.

Full chord

B3 – D4 – F♯4 – A4 – C♯5

Two-hand voicing

B2 – D4 – A4 – C♯5 – F♯5

Which keys is it in?

The Bm9 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 Bm9 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

D – relative major: two shared notes
G – the major chord a major third below: two shared notes
Bm7 – a fuller, softer minor colour

Simpler versions

Bm7 – all 4 of its notes are in this chord
Bm – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
Bsus2 – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Bm9 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.

How do I play the Bm9 chord on piano?

Play the root with your left hand and the colour notes (third, seventh, ninth) with your right hand – the two-hand voicing above. Stacking all 5 notes in one hand is possible but sounds crowded.

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.