As the VA major
- ii7Bm7
- V7♯9E7♯9
- Imaj7Amaj7
E7♯9 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
E7♯9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E7♯9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note E. Its notes are E, G♯, B, D and F𝄪.
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
- E · G♯ · B · D · F𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♯9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 15
- Note
- E
- Quality
- Dominant 7♯9
- Symbol
- E7♯9
E7♯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 E7♯9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on E, index finger on G♯, middle finger on B, ring finger on D and little finger on F𝄪. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♯ is a black key and E, B, D and F𝄪 are white. F𝄪 is the key you'd normally call G. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- E1
- G♯3
- B5
- D♭7
- F𝄪♯9
E7♯9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, E7♯9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Strings 6, 4 and 2 ring open.
E · G♯ · B · D · F𝄪
Play E7♯9 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
E7♯9 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | G♯(G#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | B | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | D | |
| ♯9 | Augmented ninth | 15 | F𝄪(F##) |
How to use the E7♯9 chord
The E7♯9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and an augmented ninth. Start at the root E and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: E, G♯, B, D and F𝄪. 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 E7♯9 differs from similar chords
E7♯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 E7♭9, where the ninth is lowered, and from E9, where it is natural. Guitarists often call it the Hendrix chord.
Where E7♯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 E7♯9 chord?
- The E7♯9 chord contains E, G♯, B, D and F𝄪 (E, G#, B, D and F## in plain text).
- Is the E7♯9 chord major or minor?
- E7♯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 E7♯9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on E, G♯, B, D and F𝄪 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 G♯ is a black key and E, B, D and F𝄪 are white. F𝄪 is the key you'd normally call G.
- How do you play E7♯9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Strings 6, 4 and 2 ring open.
- What chords work well with E7♯9?
- E7♯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.