Skip to content

Guitar chords · Dominant 7th sharp 9th

D♭7♯9 chord on guitar (Db7#9)

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

Shapes

How to play D♭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.

D♭7♯9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 4 or the E shape at fret 9. 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 4

    3fr××R3♭7♯9D♭FC♭E
  • E shape · fret 9

    9fr×R♭73♭7♯9D♭C♭FC♭E
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes D♭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 D♭7♯9 a sharp 9th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. D♭Rroot
  2. F3essential
  3. A♭5optional
  4. C♭♭7essential
  5. E♯9essential
EADGBE0135791215D♭D♭D♭D♭D♭D♭D♭EFA♭C♭EFC♭EFA♭C♭EFA♭C♭EFA♭C♭EFA♭C♭EFA♭C♭EFA♭C♭EF
  • D♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

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

D♭7♯9 and C♯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 D♭7♯9

D♭7♯9 fits no major or minor key: its ♯9 (E) 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 D♭ or as a V chord resolving to G♭.

Slash chords

D♭7♯9 over another bass note

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

  • D♭7♯9/F

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

  • D♭7♯9/A♭

    D♭7♯9 with its 5th, A♭, in the bass.

  • D♭7♯9/C♭

    D♭7♯9 with its ♭7th, C♭, in the bass.

Questions

D♭7♯9, in short

What notes are in the D♭7♯9 chord?
D♭7♯9 (D♭ sharp 9th) has five notes: D♭, F, A♭, C♭ (played as B) and E, the , 3, 5, ♭7 and ♯9.
How do you play D♭7♯9 on guitar?
D♭7♯9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 4 or the E shape at fret 9.
What key is D♭7♯9 in?
D♭7♯9 fits no major or minor key: its ♯9 (E) 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 D♭ or as a V chord resolving to G♭.
Is D♭7♯9 the same as C♯7♯9?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. D♭7♯9 is the spelling in G♭ major and E♭ minor; C♯7♯9 in F♯ major, F♯ minor and D♯ minor.
All guitar chords