The ninth chord

Ninth chords are funny beasts. There are three basic flavours - ninth, major ninth and minor ninth - and, because they contain so many potential notes (five, as opposed to the three of ordinary major and minor chords), there are lots of different inversions and voicings that you can use.

You’re most likely to use a ninth chord if you’re playing jazz, pop classics (showtunes etc.) or, in certain inversions, contemporary pop ballads. Ninths aren’t always that simple to understand or recognise, so it’s worth playing around with them a little and discovering the various sounds you can make.

The video is designed to tie in with my book, How To Really Play The Piano, but you don’t need to be reading the book to learn from the video.

If you have any questions about the ninth chord, post them in the comment thread and I’ll get back to you ASAP!