As the VE major
- ii7F♯m7
- V7♭9B7♭9
- Imaj7Emaj7
B7♭9 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
B7♭9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B7♭9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note B. Its notes are B, D♯, F♯, A and C.
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
- B · D♯ · F♯ · A · C
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♭9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 13
- Note
- B
- Quality
- Dominant 7♭9
- Symbol
- B7♭9
B7♭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 B7♭9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B, index finger on C, middle finger on D♯, ring finger on F♯ and little finger on A. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard D♯ and F♯ are black keys and B, A and C are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- B1
- C♭9
- D♯3
- F♯5
- A♭7
B7♭9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B7♭9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
B · D♯ · F♯ · A · C
Try B7♭9 on the virtual piano
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B7♭9 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | D♯(D#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F♯(F#) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | A | |
| ♭9 | Minor ninth | 13 | C |
How to use the B7♭9 chord
The B7♭9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and a minor ninth. Start at the root B and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: B, D♯, F♯, A and C. 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 B7♭9 differs from similar chords
B7♭9 is B7 with a minor ninth, a half step above the root, where B9 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 B7♭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 B7♭9 chord?
- The B7♭9 chord contains B, D♯, F♯, A and C (B, D#, F#, A and C in plain text).
- Is the B7♭9 chord major or minor?
- B7♭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 B7♭9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on B, D♯, F♯, A and C 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 D♯ and F♯ are black keys and B, A and C are white.
- How do you play B7♭9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
- What chords work well with B7♭9?
- B7♭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.