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Ab7#9 Piano Chord

A raw, urgent sound containing both a major third and a minor third (augmented ninth = minor third). Made famous by Jimi Hendrix in "Purple Haze". A staple of blues-rock and funk.

Piano

Recommended voicing
Left hand Ab2 · F#3 fingers 5–1
Right hand C4 · B4 fingers 1–5

How to play the Ab7#9 chord on piano

Split the recommended voicing between the hands: play Ab2 and F#3 with the left hand and C4 and B4 with the right. Suggested fingering is 5–1 on the left and 1–5 on the right (1 is the thumb). The perfect fifth Eb can usually be omitted from an extended chord, keeping the sound clear and the voicing manageable.

Notation for Ab7#9 chord

Other names: Ab 7th sharp 9, Ab Hendrix chord

Music theory name: seventh sharp nine chord

Common name: Ab Hendrix chord

Intervals and tones in Ab7#9 chord

Note Interval
Ab Root
C Major 3rd
Eb Perfect 5th
F# Minor 7th
H Augmented 9th

More chords with Ab as the root

The same chord type in other keys