Bbm9 Ukulele Chord

Bbm9 is the B flat minor ninth chord. It has five notes: B flat, D flat, F, A flat and C. Four strings can hold four of them, so every shape drops the fifth. The standard shape uses all four fingers in the first four frets, one per string.

All four fingers, one per string, with the root on the g string at the 3rd fret. The fifth is left out, as in every ninth chord shape. The whole grip slides: one fret up is Bm9.

How to play Bbm9 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 1st fret, C string
Middle finger: 3rd fret, G string
Ring finger: 3rd fret, A string
Pinky finger: 4th fret, E string
Strum all four strings.

Nothing in this grip is specific to B flat. It is the movable minor ninth shape with the root on the g string: slide everything up one fret for Bm9, or two for Cm9.

More ways to play Bbm9

There are 2 common Bbm9 shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Bbm9 ukulele chord diagram, frets 3 to 4, played 3044 — Frets 3 to 4

If the shape is not clean

Four fingers feel crowded: One finger per string is unusual on a ukulele. Place them in order, index first on the C string, and let the wrist drop so each finger comes down on its tip.
The C string note buzzes: The index sits at the 1st fret, where the strings are stiffest. Press just behind the fret wire rather than in the middle of the fret.
The pinky note is quiet: The pinky holds the flat seventh on the E string at the 4th fret. Curl it rather than laying it flat, and check it is not leaning on the A string next door.

What makes it a Bbm9

B♭ · D♭ · F · A♭ · C 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9

Bbm9 is a Bbm7 chord with a ninth added: B flat, D flat, F and A flat make the minor seventh, and the C makes it a ninth. The shapes here keep the root, flat third, flat seventh and ninth and drop the fifth, the one note a ninth chord can spare.

It is the ii chord of A flat, a key far more common in soul, gospel and jazz than in ukulele songbooks, which is where this chord usually earns its keep. Where a chart says Bbm7, the ninth is often the sound the arrangement really wants.

Bbm9 vs Bbm7

Bbm9 adds a C, the ninth, to the four notes of Bbm7. The ninth sits a whole step above the root an octave up and gives the minor a floating quality that never quite lands.

On a ukulele the two are different kinds of work: Bbm7 is a one finger barre across the 1st fret, while Bbm9 asks for all four fingers. The barre is easier to hold, the ninth is richer to hear.

Bbm9 chord questions

Is Bbm9 the same as A#m9?

Yes, one chord with two names. B flat suits the flat keys this chord lives in, so it is the spelling used here.

What is the difference between Bbm9 and Bbm7?

Bbm9 has a C, the ninth, added to the four notes of Bbm7. Same chord, more colour on top.

Why is there no F in the shape?

Four strings sound and the chord has five notes, so one has to go. The fifth adds weight but no character, which is why ninth chords always drop it.

Is there an easier Bbm9?

The second shape leaves the C string open as the ninth and uses three fingers. It is the gentler way in while the four finger grip is still settling.

Where is Bbm9 used?

As the ii chord in A flat and anywhere a B flat minor wants more colour, which in practice means soul, gospel, R and B and jazz.