Cm9: C Minor 9th Piano Chord

Root position: two hands, fingers low note to high
Hand	Notes	Fingers
Right	E♭, G, B♭, D	1-2-3-5
Left	C	5

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
Degree	Note	Interval from root	Semitones
1	C	Perfect unison	0
♭3	E♭	Minor third	3
5	G	Perfect fifth	7
♭7	B♭	Minor seventh	10
9	D	Major ninth	14

Construction

C Minor 9th = Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th + Minor 7th + Major 2nd = C, E♭, G, B♭, D

Note	Interval	Degree
C	Root	1
E♭	Minor 3rd	♭3
G	Perfect 5th	5
B♭	Minor 7th	♭7
D	Major 2nd	9

Fingering

Note	Key color	Right hand	Left hand
C	white	thumb (1)	little finger (5)
E♭	black	index finger (2)	ring finger (4)
G	white	middle finger (3)	middle finger (3)
B♭	black	ring finger (4)	index finger (2)
D	white	little finger (5)	thumb (1)

Right hand: thumb (1) on C, index finger (2) on E♭, middle finger (3) on G, ring finger (4) on B♭, little finger (5) on D.

Left hand: little finger (5) on C, ring finger (4) on E♭, middle finger (3) on G, index finger (2) on B♭, thumb (1) on D.

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the C Minor 9th is the tonic (i) chord of C Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, E♭ Major: 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭).

B♭E♭A♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Chords in the Key of C Minor

These are the triads built on each degree of C Minor:

i — C Minor (minor)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	i	C Minor	Minor
2	ii°	D Diminished	Diminished
3	III	E♭ Major	Major
4	iv	F Minor	Minor
5	v	G Minor	Minor
6	VI	A♭ Major	Major
7	VII	B♭ Major	Major

Scales That Include the C Minor 9th

C Minor 9th : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the C Minor 9th chord on piano?

The C Minor 9th chord contains the notes C – E♭ – G – B♭ – D. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.

What notes are in the C Minor 9th chord?

The C Minor 9th chord (Cm9) contains five notes: C (root), Eb (minor third), G (perfect fifth), Bb (minor seventh), and D (major ninth). It is Cm7 with an added ninth, dark yet lush.

How does Cm9 differ from C9?

Cm9 has a minor third (Eb). C9 has a major third (E). Cm9 is dark and smooth; C9 is bright and bluesy. Both have a minor seventh and ninth, but the third defines whether it is minor or dominant.

How does Cm9 differ from Cm7?

Cm9 adds the ninth (D) to Cm7. The ninth adds openness and colour on top of the minor seventh's smooth quality. Cm9 sounds richer and more sophisticated.

How is Cm9 used in music?

Cm9 is the ii chord in Bb Major jazz harmony (Cm9–F13–Bbmaj9). It is a staple of neo-soul, lo-fi hip-hop, R&B, and jazz. Cm9 also works as a i chord in C minor for a lush, modern minor sound.

What songs use Minor 9th chords?

Minor 9th chords define neo-soul and lo-fi: D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Robert Glasper use m9 chords as building blocks. So What by Miles Davis features minor voicings that are essentially m9 shapes. Lo-fi hip-hop producers build entire beats on m9 loops.

Do I need to play all five notes?

No: drop the fifth: C–Eb–Bb–D is a clean four-note voicing. Or use the rootless voicing Eb–G–Bb–D (an Ebmaj7 shape over C bass).

C Minor 9th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Close, root position	C3 E♭3 G3 B♭3 D4	14	193 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	E♭3 G3 B♭3 C4 D4	11	151 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	G3 B♭3 C4 D4 E♭4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	B♭3 C4 D4 E♭4 G4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, fourth inversion	D3 E♭3 G3 B♭3 C4	10	138 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	B♭2 C3 E♭3 G3 D4	16	220 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	G2 C3 E♭3 B♭3 D4	19	261 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	E♭2 B♭2 C3 G3 D4	23	316 mm	none	identical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Shell, root 9 ♭3	C2 D3 E♭3	15	206 mm	omits G	subset
Guide tones, ♭3 and 9	E♭3 D4	11	151 mm	omits C and G	subset
Rootless close	E♭3 G3 B♭3 D4	11	151 mm	omits C	subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Position	Bass note	Notes in order	Figured bass	Semitones	Span
Root position	C	C3, E♭3, G3, B♭3, D4	9	14	193 mm
First inversion: Cm9/E♭	E♭	E♭3, G3, B♭3, C4, D4	7/6/5	11	151 mm
Second inversion: Cm9/G	G	G3, B♭3, C4, D4, E♭4	7/4/3	8	110 mm
Third inversion: Cm9/B♭	B♭	B♭3, C4, D4, E♭4, G4	7/4/2	9	124 mm
Fourth inversion: Cm9/D	D	D3, E♭3, G3, B♭3, C4	9/7/5	10	138 mm

One position per chord tone in the bass. Spans are for close position: voiced inversions appear under Voicings.

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
Cm7	drops D	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	4
C9	E♭ becomes E	1 3 5 ♭7 9	4
C7	E♭, D becomes E	1 3 5 ♭7	3
CmMaj7	B♭, D becomes B	1 ♭3 5 7	3
Cm7♭5	G, D becomes G♭	1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7	3
C7sus4	E♭, D becomes F	1 4 5 ♭7	3
Cm6	B♭, D becomes A	1 ♭3 5 6	3
Cadd9	E♭, B♭ becomes E	1 3 5 9	3
Cmaj9	E♭, B♭ becomes E, B	1 3 5 7 9	3

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
C3	48	130.81 Hz
E♭3	51	155.56 Hz
G3	55	196.00 Hz
B♭3	58	233.08 Hz
D4	62	293.66 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {0, 3, 7, 10, 2}
Normal order: [7, 10, 0, 2, 3]
Prime form: (01358)
Forte number: not claimed for this cardinality
Interval vector: <122230>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
C to E♭	Minor third	3	3
C to G	Perfect fifth	7	5
C to B♭	Minor seventh	10	2
C to D	Major ninth	14	2
E♭ to G	Major third	4	4
E♭ to B♭	Perfect fifth	7	5
E♭ to D	Major seventh	11	1
G to B♭	Minor third	3	3
G to D	Perfect fifth	7	5
B♭ to D	Major third	4	4

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a minor 9th applied to the root C, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.

C Minor 9th

Fingerings

C Minor 9th: notes and degrees