F minor ninth

Fm9

Also written Fmin9 · F−9

NotesF · A♭ · C · E♭ · G
Formula1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
F1C5G9A♭♭3E♭♭7
All its notes, from the root

The minor 9th: ii of E♭ major, or the tonic of dorian. Without its root it is A♭maj7 — a major 7th built on the minor 3rd.

How pianists voice Fm9

Nobody plays a jazz chord in root position. These are the shapes that actually get played — the same ones Cadenza shows when you play the chord.

Shell Left hand

F1A♭♭3E♭♭7

1 · ♭3 · ♭7 — root, 3rd and 7th: the three notes that say what the chord is. Left hand, low; everything else is colour.

Rootless A From the 3rd

C5G9A♭♭3E♭♭7

♭3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 — no root: the bass player has it. The left-hand voicing of modern jazz piano. Without F underneath, the same keys read as A♭maj7 — the bass turns them into Fm9.

Rootless B From the 7th

G9C5E♭♭7A♭♭3

♭7 · 9 · ♭3 · 5 — the other half of the pair. A and B alternate through a ii–V–I so the hand barely moves.

Drop 2 Two hands

C5F1A♭♭3E♭♭7

5 · 1 · ♭3 · ♭7 — close position with the second voice from the top dropped an octave: wider, warmer, the standard for chord melody.

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