Ab9(#5) Guitar Chord Chart and Fingering

Ab 9(#5) guitar chord shapes

Ab9#5, the Ab ninth sharp five chord, is made of Ab, C, E, Gb and Bb. The ninth and the raised fifth, Bb and E, are a tritone apart.

The chord tones all belong to the Ab whole-tone scale, a good starting scale when you improvise over this chord. The raised fifth leans upward, which gives the chord a bright but unsettled colour. See jazz chord progressions for the places where chords like this one tend to turn up.

All five notes come from the whole-tone scale, a six-note scale built entirely from whole steps.

Ab 9th with sharp 5th guitar chord is also written as Ab9(#5), Ab9#5, Ab9+5 or Abaug9.

Ab 9(#5) chord Notes:

Ab C E Gb Bb

Formula of the Dominant Ninth Sharp Fifth chord:

1
b2
2
b3
3
4
b5
5
#5
6
b7
7
8
b9
9
#9
11
#11
13

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C 9(#5) | D 9(#5) | E 9(#5) | F 9(#5) | G 9(#5) | A 9(#5) | B 9(#5) | C#9(#5) | D#9(#5) | F#9(#5) | G#9(#5) | A#9(#5) | Ab9(#5) | Bb9(#5) | Db9(#5) | Eb9(#5) | Gb9(#5)

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in Ab9#5?

Ab9#5 is made of Ab, C, E, Gb and Bb. That is a root, a major third, a raised fifth, a minor seventh and a ninth. No double accidentals are needed.

What does the #5 mean in Ab ninth sharp five?

It tells you the fifth is raised a semitone. The usual fifth up from Ab is Eb, so here it becomes E. Together with Ab and C it forms an augmented triad.

Is Ab9#5 the same as G#9#5?

They are the same sound written two ways. G#9#5 is spelled G#, B#, D##, F# and A#, which needs double sharps. The Ab spelling is the cleaner one.

Which scale fits Ab9#5?

The Ab Whole-Tone Scale (Ab, Bb, C, D, E, Gb) contains every chord tone. The ninth Bb and the third C are both in it, as are the raised fifth E and the minor seventh Gb.