D seventh, flat ninth
How to play D7♭9 — Seventh, flat ninth
D7♭9 (Seventh, flat ninth)D · F♯ · A · C · E♭
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
D seventh, flat ninth — notes and structure
The D7♭9 chord is an altered dominant with a flattened ninth — dark and tense, a staple of jazz turnarounds.
The D7♭9 seventh, flat ninth consists of the notes D, F♯, A, C, E♭. 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.
D7♭9 stacks a major third (F♯), a perfect fifth (A), a minor seventh (C) and a flattened ninth (E♭) above the root D.
The finder shows 2 ways to play D7♭9 — movable shapes higher up the neck reaching up to the 10th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the D seventh, flat ninth chord?
- The D7♭9 chord contains the notes D, F♯, A, C, E♭. It is an altered dominant with a flattened ninth — dark and tense, a staple of jazz turnarounds.
- How many ways can you play D7♭9 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — movable shapes up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is D7♭9 a hard chord to play?
- It is a movable shape played higher up the neck rather than in open position, so it takes a little more hand strength.