As the VE♭ major
- ii7Fm7
- V7♭9B♭7♭9
- Imaj7E♭maj7
B♭7♭9 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
B♭7♭9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B♭7♭9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, D, F, A♭ and C♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♯7♭9.
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
- B♭7♭9
B♭7♭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 B♭7♭9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B♭, index finger on D, middle finger on F, ring finger on A♭ and little finger on C♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard B♭ and A♭ are black keys and D, F and C♭ are white. C♭ is the key you'd normally call B. 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.
- B♭1
- D3
- F5
- A♭♭7
- C♭♭9
B♭7♭9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B♭7♭9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. Strings 4 and 2 ring open. Don't play string 6.
B♭ · D · F · A♭ · C♭
Try B♭7♭9 on the virtual piano
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B♭7♭9 chord notes
Also known as A♯7♭9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | D | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | A♭(Ab) | |
| ♭9 | Minor ninth | 13 | C♭(Cb) |
How to use the B♭7♭9 chord
The B♭7♭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 B♭7♭9 differs from similar chords
B♭7♭9 is B♭7 with a minor ninth, a half step above the root, where B♭9 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 B♭7♭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 B♭7♭9 chord?
- The B♭7♭9 chord contains B♭, D, F, A♭ and C♭ (Bb, D, F, Ab and Cb in plain text).
- Is the B♭7♭9 chord major or minor?
- B♭7♭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 B♭7♭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 B♭ and A♭ are black keys and D, F and C♭ are white. C♭ is the key you'd normally call B. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play B♭7♭9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. Strings 4 and 2 ring open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the B♭7♭9 chord?
- B♭7♭9 is enharmonically equivalent to A♯7♭9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.