Map it slowly
Find B♭ on string 6 at fret 6. Play string 6, fret 6; string 6, fret 8; string 6, fret 10; string 5, fret 8; string 4, fret 7. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · B♭△9 · Guitar
B♭△9 arpeggio on guitar
The B♭△9 arpeggio is B♭ – D – F – A – C — chord tones 1 3 5 7 9. B♭△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads; its sound is wide, luminous. Below, every B♭, D, F, A, C on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
B♭△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 6. 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 B♭ Major 9th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play B♭ – D – F – A – C in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from D, wrapping back to B♭. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate D and A above a sustained B♭. These are degree 3 and 7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: B♭△9 has the colour “wide, luminous”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
B♭△9: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives B♭△9 its identity?
The ninth adds colour above a major-seventh foundation. Separate the upper voice from the bass and compare close and open spacing.
Here the third is D, and degree 7 is A. Play B♭ in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try D – F – A – B♭ 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 B♭ on string 6, fret 6. The next note D is on string 6, fret 8. 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: B♭ · D · F · A · C. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
B♭△9 on the keyboard.
Reference
B♭△9 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from B♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | D | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | F | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 7 | A | major 7th (11 semitones) |
| 9 | C | major 9th (14 semitones) |
Goes with: B♭ Major (Ionian) (B♭ C D E♭ F G A). Voicings: see the four-note chord voicings in the chord library.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the B♭△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
B♭△9 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a B♭△9 arpeggio?
B♭ – D – F – A – C. As chord tones: 1 3 5 7 9. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a B♭△9 chord used for?
B♭△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads. Its character is wide, luminous.
Which scale goes with B♭△9?
B♭ Major (B♭ C D E♭ F G A) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the B♭△9 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 and play E-string fret 6, E-string fret 8, E-string fret 10, A-string fret 8, D-string fret 7, D-string fret 8. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Major 9th arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Major 9th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from B♭