F♭7♭9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♭7♭9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note F♭. Its notes are F♭, A♭, C♭, E𝄫 and G𝄫. It's enharmonically the same chord as E7♭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
- F♭ · A♭ · C♭ · E𝄫 · G𝄫
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♭9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 13
- Note
- F♭
- Quality
- Dominant 7♭9
- Symbol
- F♭7♭9
F♭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 F♭7♭9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♭, index finger on A♭, middle finger on C♭, ring finger on E𝄫 and little finger on G𝄫. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♭ is a black key and F♭, C♭, E𝄫 and G𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call E, B, D and F. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F♭1
- A♭3
- C♭5
- E𝄫♭7
- G𝄫♭9
F♭7♭9 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♭7♭9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 6, 4 and 2 ring open.
F♭ · A♭ · C♭ · E𝄫 · G𝄫
Try F♭7♭9 on the virtual piano
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F♭7♭9 chord notes
Also known as E7♭9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♭(Fb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♭(Cb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | E𝄫(Ebb) | |
| ♭9 | Minor ninth | 13 | G𝄫(Gbb) |
How to use the F♭7♭9 chord
The F♭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 F♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♭, A♭, C♭, E𝄫 and G𝄫. 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 F♭7♭9 differs from similar chords
F♭7♭9 is F♭7 with a minor ninth, a half step above the root, where F♭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 F♭7♭9 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key F♭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 F♭7♭9 chord?
- The F♭7♭9 chord contains F♭, A♭, C♭, E𝄫 and G𝄫 (Fb, Ab, Cb, Ebb and Gbb in plain text).
- Is the F♭7♭9 chord major or minor?
- F♭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 F♭7♭9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♭, A♭, C♭, E𝄫 and G𝄫 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 A♭ is a black key and F♭, C♭, E𝄫 and G𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call E, B, D and F.
- How do you play F♭7♭9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 6, 4 and 2 ring open.
- What is another name for the F♭7♭9 chord?
- F♭7♭9 is enharmonically equivalent to E7♭9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.