A♭6/9 Guitar Chord — Notes, Formula & 4 Voicings (PDF)

Voicings

4 ways to play A♭6/9

Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.

CC shape Root position A♭6/9

Frets x 11 10 10 11 11Notes A♭ C F B♭Intervals 1 3 6 9Base triadA♭ major, root position

The 6th takes the 5th’s string. The 9th gets a string of its own.

CC shape 2nd inversion A♭6/9/E♭

Frets 11 11 10 10 11 xNotes E♭ A♭ C F B♭Intervals 5 1 3 6 9Base triadA♭ major, 2nd inversion

The 6th gets a string of its own. The 9th gets a string of its own.

GG shape Root position A♭6/9

Frets 4 3 3 3 4 4Notes A♭ C F B♭Intervals 1 3 6 9Base triadA♭ major, root position

The 6th takes the 5th’s string. The 9th gets a string of its own.

EE shape Root position A♭6/9

Frets x x 6 5 6 6Notes A♭ C F B♭Intervals 1 3 6 9Base triadA♭ major, root position

The 6th takes the 5th’s string. The 9th gets a string of its own.

The rules

Start from a triad
Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.
No 7th, no stack
6, add9, add11 and 6/9 are a triad with a colour note, not a stack. Without a 7th the chord sounds open rather than jazzy.
On guitar, something has to give
Each extension takes the string of a triad note that matters less, usually the 5th, or gets a string of its own. The root and 3rd stay: they say what the chord is.

All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.

What notes are in A♭6/9?

A♭6/9 is spelled A♭ C E♭ F B♭: A♭ is the root, C is the 3rd, E♭ is the 5th, F is the 6th, B♭ is the 9th.

What is the formula of A♭6/9?

1 3 5 6 9. It is a A♭ major triad with the 6th, 9th stacked on top.

How many ways can you play A♭6/9 on guitar?

This page shows 4 voicings of A♭6/9, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.