A♭ / G♯ seventh, flat ninth
How to play A♭7♭9 — Seventh, flat ninth
A♭7♭9 (Seventh, flat ninth)A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭♭
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
A♭ / G♯ seventh, flat ninth — notes and structure
The A♭7♭9 chord is an altered dominant with a flattened ninth — dark and tense, a staple of jazz turnarounds.
The A♭7♭9 seventh, flat ninth consists of the notes A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭♭. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7–9 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
A♭7♭9 stacks a major third (C), a perfect fifth (E♭), a minor seventh (G♭) and a flattened ninth (B♭♭) above the root A♭.
The finder shows 2 ways to play A♭7♭9 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 7th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the A♭ / G♯ seventh, flat ninth chord?
- The A♭7♭9 chord contains the notes A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B♭♭. It is an altered dominant with a flattened ninth — dark and tense, a staple of jazz turnarounds.
- How many ways can you play A♭7♭9 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is A♭7♭9 a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.