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Chord · Ab 6/9

A6/9 Chord

A6/9 is Ab, C, Eb, F and Bblush, neutral substitute for major triads.

Hear it

A6/9 on every instrument

The same 5 notes, 2 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.

×10fr21134EADGBE
Guitar1 voicing
CDEFGAB
Piano4 voicings

What A6/9 is made of

Ab 6/9 (Ab 6/9) is built from the notes Ab, C, Eb, F, Bb, with the interval pattern 1, 3, 5, 6, 9. A common 6/9 chord across many styles.

Stack 1, 3, 5, 6 and 9 on a root of A and you get Ab, C, Eb, F and Bb. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a six nine chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why C6/9 sounds like a transposed A6/9.

6/9: Lush, neutral substitute for major triads.

Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with A rather than its enharmonic equivalent.

Keys that contain A6/9

All 5 notes sit inside the scale of 8 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.

Other chords on A

Same root, different colour.

The same six nine shape, moved

The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.

Questions people ask about Ab6/9

What notes are in the Ab6/9 chord?
Ab6/9 is made of Ab, C, Eb, F and Bb — the 1, 3, 5, 6 and 9 degrees of a six nine chord built on Ab.
What keys use the Ab6/9 chord?
Every note of Ab6/9 belongs to 8 keys: Eb Major (IV), Ab Major (I), Db Major (V), C# Major (V), C Minor (VI), F Minor (III), Bb Minor (VII), A# Minor (VII). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
How do you play Ab6/9 on guitar and piano?
This page shows Ab6/9 on guitar and piano — 5 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Is Ab6/9 the same as G#6/9?
Yes. Ab6/9 and G#6/9 are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; Ab6/9 is the spelling this site treats as canonical.

Learn the theory behind it

Why A6/9 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.

Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One EngineWhat a seventh chord is for — tension, resolution, and the seat it takes in the key.6 min readThe 12-Bar Blues — Three Chords, A Century of HitsSeventh chords are the whole sound of the blues. Twelve bars is where to hear it.7 min read