B major ninth (Bmaj9) chord on piano

Major ninth chord (a major seventh chord plus a major ninth) on B: the notes of the Bmaj9 chord are B – D♯ – F♯ – A♯ – C♯.

Full chord: B3 – D♯4 – F♯4 – A♯4 – C♯5

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What the Bmaj9 chord sounds like

A major ninth is a major seventh chord with an added ninth: spacious, floating and very jazzy as a tonic.

Notes of the Bmaj9 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	B	root
3	D♯	major third (4 semitones)
5	F♯	perfect fifth (7 semitones)
7	A♯	major seventh (11 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 – D♯4 – F♯4 – A♯4 – C♯5

Two-hand voicing

B2 – D♯4 – A♯4 – C♯5 – F♯5

Which keys is it in?

The Bmaj9 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

B major: Imaj9 (tonic)
F♯ major: IVmaj9 (subdominant)
G♯ minor: IIImaj9
D♯ minor: VImaj9

Similar chords and substitutes

If Bmaj9 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

A♭m7 – relative minor seventh: three shared notes
E♭m7 – mediant minor seventh: three shared notes
B6 – another tonic colour, more vintage and swingy

Simpler versions

Bmaj7 – all 4 of its notes are in this chord
Badd9 – all 4 of its notes are in this chord
B – 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 Bmaj9 chord?

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

How do I play the Bmaj9 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.