B♭ / A♯ seventh, flat fifth, sharp ninth
How to play B♭7♭5(♯9) — Seventh, flat fifth, sharp ninth
B♭7♭5(♯9) (Seventh, flat fifth, sharp ninth)B♭ · D · F♭ · A♭ · C♯
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
B♭ / A♯ seventh, flat fifth, sharp ninth — notes and structure
The B♭7♭5(♯9) chord is a heavily altered dominant, maximally tense right before it resolves.
The B♭7♭5(♯9) seventh, flat fifth, sharp ninth consists of the notes B♭, D, F♭, A♭, C♯. 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.
B♭7♭5(♯9) stacks a major third (D), a diminished fifth (F♭), a minor seventh (A♭) and a raised ninth (C♯) above the root B♭.
The finder shows 2 ways to play B♭7♭5(♯9) — an open-position shape reaching up to the 9th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the B♭ / A♯ seventh, flat fifth, sharp ninth chord?
- The B♭7♭5(♯9) chord contains the notes B♭, D, F♭, A♭, C♯. It is a heavily altered dominant, maximally tense right before it resolves.
- How many ways can you play B♭7♭5(♯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 B♭7♭5(♯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.