E♭add9 chord on piano
E♭add9 is E♭, G, B♭ and F. E♭ is the black key between D and E. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.
root position · E♭–G–B♭–F · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
How to play E♭add9 on piano
Start on E♭, count 4 half steps up to G, 3 half steps up to B♭ then 7 half steps up to F. Press the 4 keys together and that's E♭add9.
- Right hand: 1 on E♭, 2 on G, 3 on B♭ and 5 on F.
- Left hand: 5 on E♭, 3 on G, 2 on B♭ and 1 on F.
- On the keyboard it's black, white, black and white keys.
Two ways to voice E♭add9
- root position: E♭–G–B♭–F. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- close voicing: E♭–F–G–B♭. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
The close voicing folds the ninth down next to the root, which fits under one hand; the spread voicing sounds wider.
Changing from E♭add9 to the chords around it
The chords E♭add9 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.
- A♭ (IV in E♭ major): E♭add9 to A♭: play A♭ in 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while G moves up to A♭ and B♭ up to C. A♭ on piano
- B♭ (V in E♭ major): E♭add9 to B♭: play B♭ in root position (B♭–D–F) and B♭ and F stay under the same fingers, while G moves up to D. B♭ on piano
- Cm (vi in E♭ major): E♭add9 to Cm: play Cm in 1st inversion (E♭–G–C) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves up to C. Cm on piano
E♭add9 is E♭ major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. E♭add9 keeps the major sound and adds sparkle, which makes it a drop-in replacement for E♭ in quiet passages. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Getting E♭add9 under your fingers
Start with a broken chord, E♭ G B♭ F B♭ G E♭, then play it solid.
The keys of E♭add9
E♭add9 is a add 9 chord, 1–3–5–9 from E♭. Root position, from the bottom: how E♭add9 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| G | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | major third |
| B♭ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| F | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | ninth |
D♯add9 is another spelling of E♭add9. Same keys, same sound.
Keys and progressions with E♭add9
E♭add9 on guitar and ukulele
E♭add9 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Next to try on piano
Other add 9 chords
E♭add9 on piano: questions
What notes are in E♭add9 on piano?
E♭, G, B♭ and F: E♭ (black key), G (white key), B♭ (black key) and F (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play E♭add9 on piano?
Press E♭, G, B♭ and F together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on E♭, 2 on G, 3 on B♭ and 5 on F.
What are the inversions of E♭add9?
E♭add9 is usually played in root position (E♭–G–B♭–F) or as a close voicing (E♭–F–G–B♭).
What does E♭add9 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, black and white keys.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes E♭, G, B♭ and F and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.