A♭9 chord on guitar

A♭9 is A♭, C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. The usual shape is 4-6-4-5-4-6, a barre at the 4th fret. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

How to play A♭9 on guitar

Shape 1, 4-6-4-5-4-6, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

1. Barre the 4th fret with your index finger, covering the 5 strings from the low E string to the B string.
2. Put your middle finger on the G string at the 5th fret, which is C.
3. Put your ring finger on the A string at the 6th fret, which is E♭.
4. Put your pinky finger on the high E string at the 6th fret, which is B♭.

• Check the barre one string at a time. A dead string under the index finger usually means the finger has drifted away from the fret wire.
• The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.

Other ways to play A♭9

• x-x-6-5-7-6: movable shape at the 5th fret, medium. A small shape for quick changes and a lighter sound.
• 4-1-1-1-1-2: partial barre shape, medium. A different set of strings gives a different color of the same chord.
• x-11-8-11-9-8: partial barre shape at the 8th fret, medium. Up the neck the chord gets thinner and brighter, a good contrast to the open version.

Playing A♭9 with a capo

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 4th fret and play the open E9 shape (0-2-0-1-0-2). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

Changing from A♭9 to the chords around it

These are the changes you'll meet most often with A♭9, using the first shape of each chord.

• C♯ (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): A♭9 (4-6-4-5-4-6) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 6th fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. A♭ carries over from one chord to the other. C♯ on guitar
• C♯maj7 (I in D♭ major): A♭9 (4-6-4-5-4-6) to C♯maj7 (x-4-6-5-6-4): your middle finger stays put, the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, the ring finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the pinky finger slides across to the B string at the same fret. Listen for A♭ and C, which stay put while the rest moves. C♯maj7 on guitar
• B♭m7 (vi in D♭ major): A♭9 (4-6-4-5-4-6) to B♭m7 (x-1-3-1-2-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the B string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the D string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared notes: A♭ and B♭. B♭m7 on guitar

A♭9 is a dominant ninth: A♭7 with the ninth on top. A♭9 is the funk and soul version of A♭7, fuller on top and still pulling toward its resolution. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Practice A♭9 in two minutes

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: A♭, E♭, G♭, C, E♭, B♭. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Finish by moving between 4-6-4-5-4-6 and x-x-6-5-7-6 to learn two positions of the same chord.

Written G♯9, it's the same chord with the same frets.

Where A♭9 shows up

A♭9 on piano and ukulele

A♭9 on piano and ukulele uses the same 5 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Related A♭ chords on guitar

• A♭7
• A♭add9
• A♭
• G♯m7

Other dominant ninth chords

• C9
• C♯9
• D9
• E♭9
• E9
• F9
• F♯9
• G9
• A9
• B♭9
• B9

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes A♭, C, E♭, G♭ and B♭ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026. Print this chord