Map it slowly
Find G♭ on string 6 at fret 2. Play string 6, fret 2; string 6, fret 4; string 6, fret 6; string 5, fret 4; string 4, fret 3. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · G♭△9 · Guitar
G♭△9 arpeggio on guitar
The G♭△9 arpeggio is G♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭ — chord tones 1 3 5 7 9. G♭△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads; its sound is wide, luminous. Below, every G♭, B♭, D♭, F, A♭ on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
G♭△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 2. 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 G♭ Major 9th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play G♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭ in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from B♭, wrapping back to G♭. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate B♭ and F above a sustained G♭. These are degree 3 and 7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: G♭△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
G♭△9: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives G♭△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 B♭, and degree 7 is F. Play G♭ in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try B♭ – D♭ – F – G♭ 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 G♭ on string 6, fret 2. The next note B♭ is on string 6, fret 4. 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: G♭ · B♭ · D♭ · F · A♭. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
G♭△9 on the keyboard.
Reference
G♭△9 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from G♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G♭ | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | B♭ | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | D♭ | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 7 | F | major 7th (11 semitones) |
| 9 | A♭ | major 9th (14 semitones) |
Goes with: F♯ Major (Ionian) (F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E♯). Voicings: see the four-note chord voicings in the chord library.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the G♭△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
G♭△9 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a G♭△9 arpeggio?
G♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭. As chord tones: 1 3 5 7 9. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a G♭△9 chord used for?
G♭△9 is a lush tonic chord in ballads. Its character is wide, luminous.
Which scale goes with G♭△9?
F♯ Major (F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E♯) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the G♭△9 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root G♭ on the low E string at fret 2 and play E-string fret 2, E-string fret 4, E-string fret 6, A-string fret 4, D-string fret 3, D-string fret 4. 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 G♭