How to play Bbm9: a minor 9th built on Bb, with 1 voicing, the notes, the keys it belongs to, and songs that use it.
The first diagram is one possible voicing: played at the first few frets. An X above a string means don't play it; an O means play it open.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 1 x 5 2 4 (x = not played).
| Note | Bb | Db | Ab | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | b3 | b7 | 9 |
Bbm9 is a minor 9th with Bb as its root. The full theoretical spelling is Bb, Db, F, Ab, C. This voicing omits the 5th, the tone guitarists drop first when fitting a chord onto six strings.
Bbm9 is a diatonic chord (built from the key's own notes) in 2 major keys and 2 minor keys. The roman numeral is the chord's place in that key; tap a key for all of its chords.
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Bbm9 is spelled Bb, Db, F, Ab, C: the root, minor 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, 9th. The common guitar voicing sounds Bb, Db, Ab, C, leaving out the 5th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 1 x 5 2 4 (x means the string is not played). Fret the A string at the 1st fret. Add the B string at the 2nd fret. Add the high E string at the 4th fret. Add the G string at the 5th fret. Strum from the A string down, skipping the D string; the low E string stays silent.
Bbm9 belongs to 4 keys: Ab major (the ii chord), Db major (the vi chord), Bb minor (the i) and F minor (the iv).
