E♭9 chord on piano
E♭9 is E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F. E♭ is the black key between D and E. Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · E♭–G–B♭–D♭–F · right hand 1-2-3-4-5
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
How to play E♭9 on piano
From E♭, go 4 half steps up to G, 3 half steps up to B♭, 3 half steps up to D♭ then 4 half steps up to F. That's the whole chord: 5 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on E♭, 2 on G, 3 on B♭, 4 on D♭ and 5 on F.
- Left hand: 5 on E♭, 4 on G, 3 on B♭, 2 on D♭ and 1 on F.
- On the keyboard it's black, white, black, black and white keys.
Two ways to voice E♭9
- root position: E♭–G–B♭–D♭–F. RH 1-2-3-4-5.
- close voicing: E♭–F–G–B♭–D♭. RH 1-2-3-4-5.
The close voicing folds the ninth down next to the root, which fits under one hand; the spread voicing sounds wider.
E♭9 chord changes
These are the changes you'll meet most often with E♭9, using the first shape of each chord.
- A♭ (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below): E♭9 to A♭: play A♭ in 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while G moves up to A♭ and D♭ down to C. A♭ on piano
- A♭maj7 (I in A♭ major): E♭9 to A♭maj7: play A♭maj7 in 2nd inversion (E♭–G–A♭–C) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves down to A♭ and D♭ down to C. A♭maj7 on piano
- Fm7 (vi in A♭ major): E♭9 to Fm7: play Fm7 in 1st inversion (A♭–C–E♭–F) and F stays under the same finger, while G moves up to A♭, D♭ down to C and D♭ up to E♭. Fm7 on piano
E♭9 is a dominant ninth: E♭7 with the ninth on top. E♭9 is the funk and soul version of E♭7, fuller on top and still pulling toward its resolution. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Practice E♭9 in two minutes
Roll the chord up and back down, E♭, G, B♭, D♭, F, D♭, B♭, G, E♭, before playing it as a block.
The keys of E♭9
E♭9 is a dominant ninth chord, 1–3–5–♭7–9 from E♭. Root position, from the bottom: how E♭9 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| G | white key | RH 2 · LH 4 | major third |
| B♭ | black key | RH 3 · LH 3 | perfect fifth |
| D♭ | black key | RH 4 · LH 2 | minor seventh |
| F | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | ninth |
You may also see it as D♯9; nothing changes on the piano.
Keys and progressions with E♭9
E♭9 on guitar and ukulele
Switching instruments? Try E♭9 on ukulele or E♭9 on guitar, or compare them on the E♭9 chord page.
Next to try on piano
Other dominant ninth chords
E♭9 on piano: questions
What notes are in E♭9 on piano?
E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F: E♭ (black key), G (white key), B♭ (black key), D♭ (black key) and F (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-4-5, left hand 5-4-3-2-1.
How do you play E♭9 on piano?
Press E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F together (3 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on E♭, 2 on G, 3 on B♭, 4 on D♭ and 5 on F.
What are the inversions of E♭9?
E♭9 is usually played in root position (E♭–G–B♭–D♭–F) or as a close voicing (E♭–F–G–B♭–D♭).
What does E♭9 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, black, black and white keys.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.