As the VA♭ major
- ii7B♭m7
- V7♯9E♭7♯9
- Imaj7A♭maj7
E♭7♯9 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
E♭7♯9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E♭7♯9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note E♭. Its notes are E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as D♯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
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭ · F♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♯9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 15
- Note
- E♭
- Quality
- Dominant 7♯9
- Symbol
- E♭7♯9
E♭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 E♭7♯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 E♭, B♭, D♭ and F♯ are black keys and G is 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.
- E♭1
- G3
- B♭5
- D♭♭7
- F♯♯9
E♭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, E♭7♯9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 5 and 7. Don't play string 6.
E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭ · F♯
Play E♭7♯9 on the online piano
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E♭7♯9 chord notes
Also known as D♯7♯9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | G | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | B♭(Bb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | D♭(Db) | |
| ♯9 | Augmented ninth | 15 | F♯(F#) |
How to use the E♭7♯9 chord
The E♭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 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 E♭7♯9 differs from similar chords
E♭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 E♭7♭9, where the ninth is lowered, and from E♭9, where it is natural. Guitarists often call it the Hendrix chord.
Where E♭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 E♭7♯9 chord?
- The E♭7♯9 chord contains E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F♯ (Eb, G, Bb, Db and F# in plain text).
- Is the E♭7♯9 chord major or minor?
- E♭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 E♭7♯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 E♭, B♭, D♭ and F♯ are black keys and G is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play E♭7♯9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 5 and 7. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the E♭7♯9 chord?
- E♭7♯9 is enharmonically equivalent to D♯7♯9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.