Bbm69

Bbm69 is Bb, Db, F, G and C, a minor six-nine. The shape this page opens on is written 6455xx, lowest string first.

Note by note. Bb is the root, Db is the minor third, F is the fifth, G is the sixth and C is the ninth.

Also written Bbm6/9, Bbmin6/9 or Bb-6/9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Bbm69 on the guitar, and 38 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Bbm69 and you have Bbm6 (with one note taken away), Bbm9 (with one note moved), BbmMaj9 (with one note moved), Bbmadd9 (with one note taken away) or Bb69 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Bbm69 belongs to F minor (the iv) and Ab major (the ii).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 6455xx, x45566, 6x5668, 6x8688, xx8688, x88688, 9-8-8-10-8-8, x-13-11-12-13-x.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Bbm69 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 4th fret. 5 of the 8 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 4th fret to the 13th.

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. Bbm69 has 6455xx, xx8688, x-13-11-12-13-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bbm69 has 6455xx, xx8688, x-13-11-12-13-x, x3532x, xx5526, x4858x, 8-10-8-6-x-x, 9-13-10-12-x-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bbm69 has x3x323, 6x552x, x4x586, 8x868x, x-13-x-12-13-9, 9-x-10-12-11-x, 15-x-11-15-13-x, x-15-x-15-14-15.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Bbm69 has x3302x, x4556x, x-x-10-10-8-9, x-x-11-12-13-13, x3x021, xx3523, x4x563, xx5668.

Tensions. A shell of Bbm69, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (Eb).

What kind of chord this is. Bbm69 is a minor chord — root, minor third, fifth. minor 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.