Bbmmaj9

BbmMaj9 is Bb, Db, F, A and C, a minor major ninth. The shape this page opens on is written 143211, lowest string first.

Note by note. Bb is the root, Db is the minor third, F is the fifth, A is the major seventh and C is the ninth.

Also written BbmM9, Bbm(maj9) or Bb-Δ9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for BbmMaj9 on the guitar, and 29 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of BbmMaj9 and you have Bbmaj9 (with one note moved), Bbm69 (with one note moved), Bbm9 (with one note moved), BbmMaj7 (with one note taken away), BbmMaj11 (with one note added) or Bbmadd9 (with one note taken away).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 143211, 64x565, 6475xx, 687668, 8-8-8-10-10-9, x-13-11-14-13-x.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for BbmMaj9 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 3 of the 6 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 14th.

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. BbmMaj9 has 6475xx, x-x-8-6-10-8, x-13-11-14-13-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. BbmMaj9 has 6475xx, x-x-8-6-10-8, x-13-11-14-13-x, x3732x, xx7526, 9-13-10-14-x-x, x-x-10-14-11-9.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. BbmMaj9 has x3x325, 8-x-8-6-10-x, 6x752x, x-13-x-14-13-9, 9-x-10-14-11-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. BbmMaj9 has x3322x, xx7668, x-x-10-10-10-9, x-15-15-14-14-x, x3x221, xx3525, x4756x, x4x565.

Tensions. A shell of BbmMaj9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (Eb) and the 13 (G).

What kind of chord this is. BbmMaj9 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.