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Ab9b5 Piano Chord

A tense jazz chord with a tritone. Often serves as a tritone substitution for the dominant. The fifth is already altered, so the perfect fifth is not played — the remaining notes are all included.

Piano

Recommended voicing
Left hand Ab2 · F#3 fingers 5–1
Right hand D4 · Bb4 · C5 fingers 1–4–5

How to play the Ab9b5 chord on piano

Split the recommended voicing between the hands: play Ab2 and F#3 with the left hand and D4, Bb4 and C5 with the right. Suggested fingering is 5–1 on the left and 1–4–5 on the right (1 is the thumb).

Notation for Ab9b5 chord

Other names: Ab 9th flat 5

Music theory name: ninth flat five chord

Common name: Ab 9b5 chord

Intervals and tones in Ab9b5 chord

Note Interval
Ab Root
C Major 3rd
D Diminished 5th
F# Minor 7th
B Major 9th

More chords with Ab as the root

The same chord type in other keys