Piano chords · Add9 chord

B♭add9 piano chord (B♭ added ninth)

B♭add9 (also written A♯add9) is a added ninth chord with 4 notes. It sounds bright and shimmering. Here's how to find it, play it and hear it.

B♭DFC

B♭ – D – F – C · tap any key to hear it

The notes of B♭add9

B♭add9 is built from 4 notes (1 – 3 – 5 – 9):

B♭, the root
D, the major third
F, the fifth
C, the ninth

B♭ is a black key, so keep your hand slightly further in, towards the fallboard, to reach it without stretching.

Fingering

Right hand: 1 on B♭, 2 on D, 3 on F, 5 on C (the C is a stretch: it sits a ninth above B♭; if it's too wide, play the B♭ with your left hand).
Left hand: 5 on B♭, 3 on D, 2 on F, 1 on C.

Press every key at exactly the same moment, with the same weight. If one note sounds louder or a fraction late, the chord sounds uneven: play it slowly and listen for one sound.

Where B♭add9 belongs

Like B♭, B♭add9 is the I chord in B♭ major, the IV chord in F major and the V chord in E♭ major.

B♭add9 is B♭ with the ninth, C, added on top: the second note of the scale, an octave up. It keeps the major chord's brightness and adds a shimmer.

Hear it in a progression

B♭add9 – F – Gm – E♭: Iadd9 – V – vi – IV, the pop progression with a lift.

Playing it, but it doesn't sound right? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a chord that's uneven. Then it shows you how it should go.

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Questions people ask

What notes are in the B♭add9 chord?

B♭add9 (B♭ added ninth) is made of B♭, D, F and C: the root, major third, fifth and ninth.

How do you play B♭add9 on piano?

With your right hand, use fingers 1 on B♭, 2 on D, 3 on F, 5 on C (the C is a stretch: it sits a ninth above B♭; if it's too wide, play the B♭ with your left hand), and press them together. With your left hand: 5 on B♭, 3 on D, 2 on F, 1 on C.

How is B♭add9 different from the plain chord?