Piano chord · Ninths
A♭ dominant 7th sharp 9 chord on piano
Right hand: A♭ (1), C (2), E♭ (3), G♭ (4), B (5)
How to play A♭7♯9 on piano: the keys to press, which fingers to use, inversions and how it’s written on the staff.
The “Hendrix chord” — gritty, with major and minor 3rds clashing.
- Notes
- A♭CE♭G♭B
- Formula
- 135♭7♯9
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th · augmented 9th
Piano
Root position · numbers are finger numbers
How to play it
Right handA♭1 · thumbC2 · indexE♭3 · middleG♭4 · ringB5 · pinky
Left handA♭5 · pinkythe root, an octave lower
Finger numbers: 1 thumb · 2 index · 3 middle · 4 ring · 5 pinky. Inversions use the same notes with a different one on the bottom — they help you move smoothly between chords. Tap any key to hear it.
Tips for playing A♭7♯9 on piano
On piano, A♭7♯9 has three black keys (A♭, E♭ and G♭) and two white keys. In root position it spans more than an octave, so many pianists play the root with the left hand and the rest with the right.
