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 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
- B · D♯ · F♯ · A · C𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♯9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 15
- 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. C𝄪 is the key you'd normally call D. 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. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Don't play string 6.
B · D♯ · F♯ · A · C𝄪
Try B7♯9 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
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 | Augmented ninth | 15 | C𝄪(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 an augmented 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 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 B7♯9 differs from similar chords
B7♯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 B7♭9, where the ninth is lowered, and from B9, where it is natural. Guitarists often call it the Hendrix chord.
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 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 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. C𝄪 is the key you'd normally call D.
- How do you play B7♯9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. 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.