Map it slowly
Find A♭ on string 6 at fret 4. Play string 6, fret 4; string 6, fret 6; string 6, fret 8; string 5, fret 6; string 4, fret 4. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · A♭9 · Guitar
A♭9 arpeggio on guitar
The A♭9 arpeggio is A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ — chord tones 1 3 5 ♭7 9. A♭9 is a fuller V chord; the 9th sits on top of the dominant seventh; its sound is rich, bluesy. Below, every A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭ on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
A♭9 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 4. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make A♭ Dominant 9th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from C, wrapping back to A♭. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate C and G♭ above a sustained A♭. These are degree 3 and ♭7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: A♭9 has the colour “rich, bluesy”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
A♭9: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives A♭9 its identity?
A ninth extends the dominant seventh; it does not replace the third or seventh. Start with those guide tones, then add the ninth above them.
Here the third is C, and degree ♭7 is G♭. Play A♭ in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try C – E♭ – G♭ – A♭ as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with A♭ on string 6, fret 4. The next note C is on string 6, fret 6. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
A♭9 on the keyboard.
Reference
A♭9 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from A♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | C | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| ♭7 | G♭ | minor 7th (10 semitones) |
| 9 | B♭ | major 9th (14 semitones) |
Goes with: A♭ Mixolydian (A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭). Voicings: see the four-note chord voicings in the chord library.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the A♭9 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
A♭9 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a A♭9 arpeggio?
A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭. As chord tones: 1 3 5 ♭7 9. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a A♭9 chord used for?
A♭9 is a fuller V chord; the 9th sits on top of the dominant seventh. Its character is rich, bluesy.
Which scale goes with A♭9?
A♭ Mixolydian (A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the A♭9 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 and play E-string fret 4, E-string fret 6, E-string fret 8, A-string fret 6, D-string fret 4, D-string fret 6. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Dominant 9th arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Dominant 9th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from A♭