Am9 Piano Chord

Am9 is the A minor ninth chord. It has five notes: A, C, E, G and B, every one of them a white key. The stack is wider than an octave, so most players give the A to the left hand and the rest to the right.

A at the bottom, then C, E, G and B. Right hand 1-2-3-4-5 if you can span it; most players put A in the left hand and C E G B in the right.

How to play Am9 on piano, step by step

Start on the A below middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
Thumb (1): A
Index finger (2): C
Middle finger (3): E
Ring finger (4): G
Little finger (5): B
That reach is wider than an octave, so most players split it: play A with the left hand and the other notes with the right. If you keep it in one hand, leave out the fifth (E), the note the chord misses least.

The top four notes, C E G B, are exactly Cmaj7. Hold A in the left hand and play a Cmaj7 shape with the right and you have Am9 with no stretch at all.

If it sounds wrong

It sounds like a major chord: Without the A at the bottom the other four notes are Cmaj7. Make sure the left hand really sounds the A, because that one bass note is what makes the chord minor.
The reach is too wide: A to B is a ninth, more than an octave. Do not force it: split the chord between the hands, or leave out the E and play A, C, G and B.
The top note sticks out: The B is the colour, not the melody. Let the little finger rest lighter than the others so the ninth sits inside the chord instead of on top of it.

What makes it an Am9

A · C · E · G · B 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9

Am9 is Am7 with a ninth added: A, C, E and G make the minor seventh, and the B on top makes it a ninth. It is the ii chord of G and a richer stand in for A minor anywhere.

The upper four notes, C, E, G and B, spell Cmaj7 on their own. That is why pianists split the chord: the left hand states A, the right hand plays a plain Cmaj7, and together they are Am9. Minor ninths are the everyday minor of soul, R and B and jazz, where a bare minor seventh can sound thin.

Am9 vs Am7

Am9 adds a B to the four notes of Am7. Am7 is calm and a little plain; Am9 is the same calm with more light in it.

On a keyboard the difference is one little finger: both chords sit under the same hand, and the B lands a ninth above the root. Where a chart says Am7, playing Am9 is almost always welcome.

Questions about Am9

Which notes are in an Am9 chord on piano?

A, C, E, G and B. All five are white keys. A, C, E and G make Am7, and the B is the added ninth.

What is the difference between Am9 and Am7?

The B on top. Am7 has four notes; Am9 adds the ninth above them, which softens and modernises the sound without changing the chord's job.

Why are there no inversions on this page?

Am9 spans more than an octave, so lifting the bottom note an octave lands it inside the chord rather than on top. Root position is the shape to learn; rearranged ninth chords are rootless voicings, a later skill.

Can I leave a note out?

Yes, the fifth. A, C, G and B still sound fully like Am9, and the hand no longer has to span a ninth.

Where is Am9 used?

As the ii chord in G, as a substitute for A minor almost anywhere, and all through soul, R and B and jazz.