C minor ninth, flat fifth
How to play Cm9♭5 — Minor ninth, flat fifth
Cm9♭5 (Minor ninth, flat fifth)C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · D
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
C minor ninth, flat fifth — notes and structure
The Cm9♭5 chord is a half-diminished chord with the ninth added — dark and colourful.
The Cm9♭5 minor ninth, flat fifth consists of the notes C, E♭, G♭, B♭, D. 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.
Cm9♭5 stacks a minor third (E♭), a diminished fifth (G♭), a minor seventh (B♭) and a ninth (D) above the root C.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Cm9♭5 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 7th fret. None of them need a barre.
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the C minor ninth, flat fifth chord?
- The Cm9♭5 chord contains the notes C, E♭, G♭, B♭, D. It is a half-diminished chord with the ninth added — dark and colourful.
- How many ways can you play Cm9♭5 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Cm9♭5 a hard chord to play?
- It is fairly beginner-friendly — there is an open-position shape and none of the voicings need a barre.