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Guitar chords · Dominant 7th sharp 9th

B♭7♯9 chord on guitar (Bb7#9)

B♭7♯9 (B♭ sharp 9th) has five notes: B♭, D, F, A♭ and C♯, the , 3, 5, ♭7 and ♯9.

Shapes

How to play B♭7♯9

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

B♭7♯9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 1 or the E shape at fret 6. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 1

    ××R♭7♯9B♭DA♭C♯
  • E shape · fret 6

    6fr×R♭73♭7♯9B♭A♭DA♭C♯
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes B♭7♯9 dominant 7th sharp 9th

A 7♯9 chord is a chord with a raised 9th on top. The ♯9 sounds like a minor 3rd against the major 3rd, a deliberate clash; the chord is known as the Hendrix chord, at home in blues, funk and rock.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The 3rd, the ♭7th and the ♯9th make B♭7♯9 a sharp 9th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. B♭Rroot
  2. D3essential
  3. F5optional
  4. A♭♭7essential
  5. C♯♯9essential
EADGBE0135791215B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭FA♭C♯DFC♯DFA♭DFA♭C♯DFA♭C♯DFA♭C♯DFA♭C♯DFA♭C♯DF
  • B♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

As a V chord, B♭7♯9 resolves to E♭ or, more often, E♭m: the V7♯9–i move.

B♭7♯9 and A♯7♯9 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with B♭7♯9

B♭7♯9 fits no major or minor key: its ♯9 (C♯) rubs against the major 3rd on purpose. It is the sound of blues, funk and rock, played as the I chord of a blues in B♭ or as a V chord resolving to E♭.

Slash chords

B♭7♯9 over another bass note

A keeps B♭7♯9 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • B♭7♯9/D

    B♭7♯9 with its 3rd, D, in the bass.

  • B♭7♯9/F

    B♭7♯9 with its 5th, F, in the bass.

  • B♭7♯9/A♭

    B♭7♯9 with its ♭7th, A♭, in the bass.

Questions

B♭7♯9, in short

What notes are in the B♭7♯9 chord?
B♭7♯9 (B♭ sharp 9th) has five notes: B♭, D, F, A♭ and C♯, the , 3, 5, ♭7 and ♯9.
How do you play B♭7♯9 on guitar?
B♭7♯9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 1 or the E shape at fret 6.
What key is B♭7♯9 in?
B♭7♯9 fits no major or minor key: its ♯9 (C♯) rubs against the major 3rd on purpose. It is the sound of blues, funk and rock, played as the I chord of a blues in B♭ or as a V chord resolving to E♭.
Is B♭7♯9 the same as A♯7♯9?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. B♭7♯9 is the spelling in E♭ major, E♭ minor and C minor; A♯7♯9 only in D♯ minor.
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