A♯7♯9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A♯7♯9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note A♯. Its notes are A♯, C𝄪, E♯, G♯ and B𝄪. It's enharmonically the same chord as B♭7♯9.
Dominant seventh sharp nine chords sound gritty and bluesy at once, the clash of a major third against a sharp ninth that reads to the ear like a minor third. Funk, rock and soul horn sections lean hard on this one chord.
- Notes
- A♯ · C𝄪 · E♯ · G♯ · B𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♯9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 15
- Note
- A♯
- Quality
- Dominant 7♯9
- Symbol
- A♯7♯9
A♯7♯9 on piano
5 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A♯7♯9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A♯, index finger on B𝄪, middle finger on C𝄪, ring finger on E♯ and little finger on G♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♯, G♯ and B𝄪 are black keys and C𝄪 and E♯ are white, the keys you'd normally call D and F. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A♯1
- B𝄪♯9
- C𝄪3
- E♯5
- G♯♭7
A♯7♯9 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A♯7♯9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 4 rings open. Don't play string 6.
A♯ · C𝄪 · E♯ · G♯ · B𝄪
Try A♯7♯9 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
A♯7♯9 chord notes
Also known as B♭7♯9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♯(A#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | C𝄪(C##) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E♯(E#) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | G♯(G#) | |
| ♯9 | Augmented ninth | 15 | B𝄪(B##) |
How to use the A♯7♯9 chord
The A♯7♯9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and an augmented 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 sharp nine chords drive funk, blues-rock and fusion as the tonic of a dominant-based vamp, not only as a V chord. Whole grooves in soul and rock guitar are built around this one chord.
How A♯7♯9 differs from similar chords
A♯7♯9 holds both a major third and a raised ninth that sounds like a minor third, so it is major and minor at once. That clash separates it from A♯7♭9, where the ninth is lowered, and from A♯9, where it is natural. Guitarists often call it the Hendrix chord.
Where A♯7♯9 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key A♯7♯9 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A♯7♯9 chord?
- The A♯7♯9 chord contains A♯, C𝄪, E♯, G♯ and B𝄪 (A#, C##, E#, G# and B## in plain text).
- Is the A♯7♯9 chord major or minor?
- A♯7♯9 is a altered dominant seventh chord. Dominant seventh sharp nine chords sound gritty and bluesy at once, the clash of a major third against a sharp ninth that reads to the ear like a minor third. Funk, rock and soul horn sections lean hard on this one chord.
- How do you play A♯7♯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 A♯, G♯ and B𝄪 are black keys and C𝄪 and E♯ are white, the keys you'd normally call D and F. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play A♯7♯9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 4 rings open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the A♯7♯9 chord?
- A♯7♯9 is enharmonically equivalent to B♭7♯9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.