How to Play Bb9 on Piano

The Bb Dominant 9th chord sounds rich and funky. It stacks 5 notes: Bb – D – F – Ab – C.

A dominant seventh with the ninth stacked above it. It keeps the seventh chord tension and adds colour over the top.

Notes in Bb9

NoteIntervalFinger
BbBb4Root1
DD5Major 3rd2
FF5Perfect 5th3
AbAb5Minor 7th4
CC6Major 9th5

How to Play

Right Hand

Place your thumb (finger 1) on Bb. Spread your fingers across all 5 notes, one finger per key.

Where it sits

2 notes of this chord (Bb, Ab) are on black keys, so play it a little further back on the keys than an all-white shape.

Press all 5 keys at the same time. Keep your wrist relaxed and your fingers curved. The blue dots on the piano below show exactly which keys to press — they turn green when you play the right note.

Other Dominant 9th Chords

C9
C – E – G – Bb – D
Db9
Db – F – Ab – Cb – Eb
D9
D – F# – A – C – E
Eb9
Eb – G – Bb – Db – F
E9
E – G# – B – D – F#
F9
F – A – C – Eb – G
F#9
F# – A# – C# – E – G#
G9
G – B – D – F – A
Ab9
Ab – C – Eb – Gb – Bb
A9
A – C# – E – G – B
B9
B – D# – F# – A – C#

Other Bb Chords

Bb6
Bb – D – F – G
Bb7
Bb – D – F – Ab
Bb
Bb – D – F
Bbm
Bb – Db – F
Bbmaj7
Bb – D – F – A
Bbm7
Bb – Db – F – Ab
Bbaug
Bb – D – F#
Bbsus2
Bb – C – F
Bbsus4
Bb – Eb – F
Bbm6
Bb – Db – F – G
Bbadd9
Bb – D – F – C