As the VA♭ major
- ii7B♭m7
- V9E♭9
- Imaj7A♭maj7
E♭9 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
E♭9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E♭9 chord is a dominant ninth chord built on the root note E♭. Its notes are E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F. It's enharmonically the same chord as D♯9.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant ninth chords are a dominant seventh with extra shine. The ninth on top softens the bite of the tritone below it, which is why funk, soul and blues rhythm guitar lives on this chord.
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 14
- Note
- E♭
- Quality
- Dominant 9
- Symbol
- E♭9
E♭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♭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♭ and D♭ are black keys and G 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.
- E♭1
- G3
- B♭5
- D♭♭7
- F9
E♭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♭9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 5 and 6. Don't play string 6.
E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭ · F
Try E♭9 on the virtual piano
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E♭9 chord notes
Also known as D♯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 | Major ninth | 14 | F |
How to use the E♭9 chord
The E♭9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and a major 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 ninth chords take the place of a plain dominant seventh in blues, funk, soul and jazz. As the V9 they resolve just like a V7 does, only with more colour on the way.
How E♭9 differs from similar chords
E♭9 is E♭7 with a major ninth on top, so it keeps the dominant pull of the tritone. It differs from E♭maj9 in the seventh, minor rather than major, and from E♭add9, which has no seventh at all. In E♭7♭9 and E♭7♯9 the same ninth is moved a half step down or up.
Where E♭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♭9 chord?
- The E♭9 chord contains E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F (Eb, G, Bb, Db and F in plain text).
- Is the E♭9 chord major or minor?
- E♭9 is a dominant ninth chord. Dominant ninth chords are a dominant seventh with extra shine. The ninth on top softens the bite of the tritone below it, which is why funk, soul and blues rhythm guitar lives on this chord.
- How do you play E♭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♭ and D♭ are black keys and G 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 E♭9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 5 and 6. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the E♭9 chord?
- E♭9 is enharmonically equivalent to D♯9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.