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Guitar chords · Six-nine

A♭6/9 chord on guitar (Ab6/9)

A♭6/9 (A♭ six-nine) has five notes: A♭, C, E♭, F and B♭, the , 3, 5, 6 and 9.

Shapes

How to play A♭6/9

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

A♭6/9 has no common . Play it as the E shape at 4 or the A shape at fret 11. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • E shape · fret 4

    R3695RA♭CFB♭E♭A♭
  • A shape · fret 11

    10fr×R3695A♭CFB♭E♭
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes A♭6/9 six-nine

A 6/9 chord adds both the 6th and the 9th to a major , with no 7th. It sounds rich but settled, so it often ends a song in jazz and bossa nova. Keep the 3rd, the 6th and the 9th; the 5th can go.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The 3rd, the 6th and the 9th make A♭6/9 a six-nine chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. A♭Rroot
  2. C3essential
  3. E♭5optional
  4. F6essential
  5. B♭9essential
EADGBE0135791215A♭A♭A♭A♭A♭A♭A♭FB♭CE♭FB♭CE♭FB♭CE♭FB♭CE♭FB♭CE♭FB♭CE♭FB♭CFB♭CE♭F
  • A♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

A♭6/9 and G♯6/9 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with A♭6/9

A♭6/9 belongs to six keys: D♭ major (V6/9), A♭ major (I6/9), E♭ major (IV6/9), B♭ minor (VII6/9), F minor (III6/9) and C minor (VI6/9).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Questions

A♭6/9, in short

What notes are in the A♭6/9 chord?
A♭6/9 (A♭ six-nine) has five notes: A♭, C, E♭, F and B♭, the , 3, 5, 6 and 9.
How do you play A♭6/9 on guitar?
A♭6/9 has no common . Play it as the E shape at 4 or the A shape at fret 11.
What key is A♭6/9 in?
A♭6/9 belongs to six keys: D♭ major (V6/9), A♭ major (I6/9), E♭ major (IV6/9), B♭ minor (VII6/9), F minor (III6/9) and C minor (VI6/9).
Is A♭6/9 the same as G♯6/9?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. A♭6/9 is the spelling in D♭ major, A♭ major, E♭ major, B♭ minor, F minor and C minor; G♯6/9 only in C♯ major and A♯ minor, which most players write as D♭ major and B♭ minor.
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