A flat Six-Nine Chord (A♭6/9)

1Composition: what it contains

A♭ – C – E♭ – F – B♭

Symbol

A♭6/9

Also written

A♭6/9, A♭69, A♭6add9

Formula

1 3 5 6 9

Same sound as

G♯6/9

2Appearance: diagrams and sound

On the guitar

On the ukulele

On the piano

On the staff

On bass and as an arpeggio

3Indications: what it is used for

A tonic major chord in jazz, bossa nova, funk, soul and gospel, often used as the final chord of a tune or in place of a major seventh on I. Its pentatonic content (1-2-3-5-6) makes it extremely consonant and lets the melody move freely. Guitarists use the four-string quartal shape on top strings; pianists use it in spread voicings. It can also replace a major triad on IV. Its quartal shape also makes it a favourite for planing, sliding the same voicing up and down.

4Dosage: how to practise it

On guitar, learn the shape rooted on the fifth string (with the ninth and sixth on the higher strings) and the shape rooted on the sixth string; practise moving them chromatically. On piano, play the root and fifth in the left hand with 3-6-9 in the right, and practise the voicing in all keys. Practise ii7–V7–I6/9 at 80–140 BPM. Five minutes daily. Try ending tunes on a 6/9 instead of a plain major chord and compare the effect. Practise the quartal guitar shape slid chromatically into the target chord.

5Warnings and common mistakes

Do not confuse 6/9 with a slash chord: the slash in '6/9' is part of the chord name, not a bass note. It has no seventh, so it is not a thirteenth chord. On guitar, the shape often omits the fifth, which is fine. Avoid placing the sixth and ninth in a low register where they sound muddy. If the melody holds the major seventh, choose maj7 or maj9 instead.

6Interactions with chords, scales and keys

Inversions

• Inversion 1 · A♭6/9/C · C – E♭ – F – B♭ – A♭ Play
• Inversion 2 · A♭6/9/E♭ · E♭ – F – B♭ – A♭ – C Play
• Inversion 3 · A♭6/9/F · F – B♭ – A♭ – C – E♭ Play
• Inversion 4 · A♭6/9/B♭ · B♭ – A♭ – C – E♭ – F Play

Scales to play over A♭6/9

• A flat Major Scale
• A flat Lydian Mode
• A flat Mixolydian Mode
• A flat Major Pentatonic Scale
• A flat Major Blues Scale
• A flat Lydian Dominant Scale
• A flat Bebop Dominant Scale

7Other presentations available

The same chord from every note

C6/9 C♯6/9 D6/9 E♭6/9 E6/9 F6/9 F♯6/9 G6/9 A6/9 B♭6/9 B6/9

Other chords on A♭

A♭ A♭m A♭dim A♭aug A♭sus2 A♭sus4 A♭5 A♭6 A♭m6 A♭7 A♭maj7 A♭m7 A♭m7♭5 A♭dim7 A♭m(maj7) A♭7sus4 A♭add9 A♭m(add9) A♭9 A♭maj9 A♭m9 A♭11 A♭m11 A♭13 A♭7♭9 A♭7♯9 A♭7♯5 A♭7♭5