C♭7♭9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C♭7♭9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note C♭. Its notes are C♭, E♭, G♭, B𝄫 and D𝄫. It's enharmonically the same chord as B7♭9.
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
- C♭ · E♭ · G♭ · B𝄫 · D𝄫
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♭9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 13
- Note
- C♭
- Quality
- Dominant 7♭9
- Symbol
- C♭7♭9
C♭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 C♭7♭9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C♭, index finger on D𝄫, middle finger on E♭, ring finger on G♭ and little finger on B𝄫. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ and G♭ are black keys and C♭, B𝄫 and D𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call B, A and C. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♭1
- D𝄫♭9
- E♭3
- G♭5
- B𝄫♭7
C♭7♭9 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C♭7♭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.
C♭ · E♭ · G♭ · B𝄫 · D𝄫
Play C♭7♭9 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
C♭7♭9 chord notes
Also known as B7♭9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G♭(Gb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | B𝄫(Bbb) | |
| ♭9 | Minor ninth | 13 | D𝄫(Dbb) |
How to use the C♭7♭9 chord
The C♭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 C♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C♭, E♭, G♭, B𝄫 and D𝄫. 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 C♭7♭9 differs from similar chords
C♭7♭9 is C♭7 with a minor ninth, a half step above the root, where C♭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 C♭7♭9 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key C♭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 C♭7♭9 chord?
- The C♭7♭9 chord contains C♭, E♭, G♭, B𝄫 and D𝄫 (Cb, Eb, Gb, Bbb and Dbb in plain text).
- Is the C♭7♭9 chord major or minor?
- C♭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 C♭7♭9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C♭, E♭, G♭, B𝄫 and D𝄫 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 E♭ and G♭ are black keys and C♭, B𝄫 and D𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call B, A and C.
- How do you play C♭7♭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 is another name for the C♭7♭9 chord?
- C♭7♭9 is enharmonically equivalent to B7♭9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.