As the VD major
- ii7Em7
- V7♭9A7♭9
- Imaj7Dmaj7
A7♭9 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
A7♭9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A7♭9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note A. Its notes are A, C♯, E, G and B♭.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant seventh flat nine chords sound dark and urgent. Stacking a minor ninth on a dominant seventh tightens the tension already built into the tritone, which makes the chord a strong pull toward a minor tonic.
- Notes
- A · C♯ · E · G · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♭9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 13
- Note
- A
- Quality
- Dominant 7♭9
- Symbol
- A7♭9
A7♭9 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A7♭9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A, index finger on C♯, middle finger on E, ring finger on G and little finger on B♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard C♯ and B♭ are black keys and A, E and G are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A1
- C♯3
- E5
- G♭7
- B♭♭9
A7♭9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A7♭9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 5. Strings 5 and 1 ring open.
A · C♯ · E · G · B♭
Play A7♭9 on the online piano
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A7♭9 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | C♯(C#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | G | |
| ♭9 | Minor ninth | 13 | B♭(Bb) |
How to use the A7♭9 chord
The A7♭9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and a minor ninth. Start at the root A and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A, C♯, E, G and B♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Dominant seventh flat nine chords are the classic altered dominant of bebop and gospel, most often the V7 of a ii-V-i in a minor key. Gospel piano voices this chord thick under the vocal line right before it resolves.
How A7♭9 differs from similar chords
A7♭9 is A7 with a minor ninth, a half step above the root, where A9 has a major ninth. Leave out the root and the other four notes form a diminished seventh chord a major third up. That is why it pulls so hard towards a minor chord a fifth below.
Where A7♭9 is used
A dominant chord wants to resolve. Its home is the V of a major key - and the I of a blues, where the pull never lets up.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A7♭9 chord?
- The A7♭9 chord contains A, C♯, E, G and B♭ (A, C#, E, G and Bb in plain text).
- Is the A7♭9 chord major or minor?
- A7♭9 is a altered dominant seventh chord. Dominant seventh flat nine chords sound dark and urgent. Stacking a minor ninth on a dominant seventh tightens the tension already built into the tritone, which makes the chord a strong pull toward a minor tonic.
- How do you play A7♭9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on A, C♯, E, G and B♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard C♯ and B♭ are black keys and A, E and G are white.
- How do you play A7♭9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 5. Strings 5 and 1 ring open.
- What chords work well with A7♭9?
- A7♭9 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.