Bb9 Chord On The Guitar (B Flat 9) – Diagrams, Finger Positions and Theory

The Bb9 (B flat 9) chord contains the notes Bb, D, F, Ab and C. It is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the Bb Major scale. The 9th note of the scale (Bb) is the same as the 2nd note, but we refer to it as a 9, as this implies that the chord is a dominant 7 chord (1, 3, 5, 7) with a 9 included.

The 9th chord is a very popular guitar chord in Jazz, Funk and Blues. It is in many ways, the go-to ‘funk’ chord. The 9th chord can often be substituted for a dominant 7 chord. Let’s take an example chord progression:

Try playing this chord progression. After a while, try substituting the Bb7 chord for a Bb9 chord. You should hear that the chord progression sounds very similar, but the inclusion of the Bb9 chord gives the chord progression a jazzy sound.

The most common way to play Bb9 is with the root note on the 13th fret of the 5th string (second shape in the pic below).

10 Ways To Play The Bb9 Chord

If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for Bb9, here they are.

Bb9 Chord 10 Shapes

Some Quick Bb9 Chord Theory

  • The Bb9 chord contains the notes Bb, D, F, Ab and C.
  • The Bb9 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the Bb Major scale.
  • The 9th note of the Bb Major scale (C) is the same as the 2nd note of the scale.
  • The Bb9 can be used as a substitute for the Bb7 chord.
  • The Bb9 is essentially a Bb dominant 7 chord with an added 9.
  • The Bb mixolydian mode can be used when soloing over the Bb9 chord.

Further Reading

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