Ab69

Ab69 is Ab, C, Eb, F and Bb, a six-nine. The shape this page opens on is written x11111, lowest string first.

Note by note. Ab is the root, C is the major third, Eb is the fifth, F is the sixth and Bb is the ninth.

Also written Ab6/9, Ab6add9 or Ab six nine. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for Ab69 on the guitar, and 38 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Ab69 and you have Abmaj9 (with one note moved), Abmaj13 (with one note added), Abm69 (with one note moved), Abadd9 (with one note taken away), Ab6 (with one note taken away) or Ab9 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Ab69 belongs to C minor (the ♭VI), C# major (the V), Eb major (the IV), F minor (the ♭III), Ab major (the I) and Bb minor (the ♭VII).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x11111, 433344, xx6566, x66566, x88898, x-11-8-10-9-8, x-11-10-10-11-11.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Ab69 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 6 of the 7 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 11th.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Ab69 has 4333xx, xx6566, x-11-10-10-11-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Ab69 has x1311x, 4333xx, xx6566, x-x-8-10-9-8, x-11-10-10-11-x, x-13-15-13-13-x, xx3314, x3636x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Ab69 has x1x111, 4x331x, x3x364, 6x656x, x8x596, x-11-x-10-11-8, 8-x-8-10-9-x, 13-x-10-13-11-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Ab69 has xx1311, x3334x, xx8868, x-x-10-10-11-11, x-x-13-15-13-13, x3x341, xx3546, x6x566.

Tensions. A shell of Ab69, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (D).

What kind of chord this is. Ab69 is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. major chords on every root, and what they are for.

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.