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 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
- 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 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 B♭, A♭ and C♯ are black keys and D and F are white. 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
- C♯♯9
- D3
- F5
- A♭♭7
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. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 4 rings 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 | Augmented ninth | 15 | C♯(C#) |
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 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 B♭7♯9 differs from similar chords
B♭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 B♭7♭9, where the ninth is lowered, and from B♭9, where it is natural. Guitarists often call it the Hendrix chord.
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 C# in plain text).
- Is the B♭7♯9 chord major or minor?
- B♭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 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♭, A♭ and C♯ are black keys and D and F are white. 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. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 4 rings 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.