As the VC♭ major
- ii7D♭m7
- V7♭9G♭7♭9
- Imaj7C♭maj7
G♭7♭9 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
G♭7♭9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The G♭7♭9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note G♭. Its notes are G♭, B♭, D♭, F♭ and A𝄫. It's enharmonically the same chord as F♯7♭9.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
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
- G♭ · B♭ · D♭ · F♭ · A𝄫
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♭9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 13
- Note
- G♭
- Quality
- Dominant 7♭9
- Symbol
- G♭7♭9
G♭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 G♭7♭9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on G♭, index finger on B♭, middle finger on D♭, ring finger on F♭ and little finger on A𝄫. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♭, B♭ and D♭ are black keys and F♭ and A𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call E and G. 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.
- G♭1
- B♭3
- D♭5
- F♭♭7
- A𝄫♭9
G♭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, G♭7♭9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 3 and 1 ring open.
G♭ · B♭ · D♭ · F♭ · A𝄫
Play G♭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.
G♭7♭9 chord notes
Also known as F♯7♭9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | D♭(Db) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | F♭(Fb) | |
| ♭9 | Minor ninth | 13 | A𝄫(Abb) |
How to use the G♭7♭9 chord
The G♭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 G♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: G♭, B♭, D♭, F♭ and A𝄫. 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 G♭7♭9 differs from similar chords
G♭7♭9 is G♭7 with a minor ninth, a half step above the root, where G♭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 G♭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 G♭7♭9 chord?
- The G♭7♭9 chord contains G♭, B♭, D♭, F♭ and A𝄫 (Gb, Bb, Db, Fb and Abb in plain text).
- Is the G♭7♭9 chord major or minor?
- G♭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 G♭7♭9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on G♭, B♭, D♭, F♭ and A𝄫 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♭, B♭ and D♭ are black keys and F♭ and A𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call E and G. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play G♭7♭9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 3 and 1 ring open.
- What is another name for the G♭7♭9 chord?
- G♭7♭9 is enharmonically equivalent to F♯7♭9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.