C minor ninth (Cm9) chord on piano

Looking for the Cm9 chord on piano? It is a minor ninth chord (a minor seventh plus a major ninth), made of five notes: C – E♭ – G – B♭ – D.

Full chord: C4 – E♭4 – G4 – B♭4 – D5

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What the Cm9 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 Cm9 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	C	root
3	E♭	minor third (3 semitones)
5	G	perfect fifth (7 semitones)
7	B♭	minor seventh (10 semitones)
9	D	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

C4 – E♭4 – G4 – B♭4 – D5

Two-hand voicing

C3 – E♭4 – B♭4 – D5 – G5

Which keys is it in?

The Cm9 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

C minor: i9 (tonic)
G minor: iv9 (subdominant)
E♭ major: vi9
B♭ major: ii9

Similar chords and substitutes

If Cm9 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

E♭ – relative major: two shared notes
A♭ – the major chord a major third below: two shared notes
Cm7 – a fuller, softer minor colour

Simpler versions

Cm7 – all 4 of its notes are in this chord
Cm – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
Csus2 – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Cm9 chord?

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

How do I play the Cm9 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.

How is the Cm9 chord written?

The chord symbol is Cm9, and its full name is C minor ninth.