About the G flat minor major nine chord
G flat minor major nine sits outside the plain diatonic set, so it is borrowed to add color and tension. Think of it as a G♭ minor-major ninth chord.
Its notes are G♭, B♭♭, D♭, F, and A♭. The intervals are a minor third, a perfect fifth, a major seventh, and a major ninth.
Also called mΔ9 and mM9. F sharp minor major nine spells the same notes enharmonically. In shorthand it is commonly written GbmMaj9.
Inversions
G flat minor major nine (root position)
Notes and intervals
| 1 | GbG♭ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | BbbB♭♭ | Minor 3rd |
| 3 | DbD♭ | Perfect 5th |
| 4 | FF | Major 7th |
| 5 | AbA♭ | Major 9th |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Other G flat chords
Simpler triads
Suspended
Sixths and sevenths
Extensions
Altered
Functional relationships
These chords are where this one most naturally comes from and resolves to inside a key.
Relative major
The relative major uses the same notes and key signature, so it works as a brighter home base.
Parallel major
The parallel major keeps the same root note but raises the third, giving the same key a brighter, happier sound.
Dominant
The dominant is a fifth above the root, and it builds tension that pulls strongly back to this chord.
Subdominant
The subdominant is a fourth above the root (a fifth below), and it usually leads on to the dominant or back home.
Tritone substitution
The tritone substitution stands in for this chord's dominant with a dominant seventh a half step above the root, which slides down by a half step to resolve here.
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