B flat seventh sharp nine (Bb7(#9)) chord on guitar

Notes: B♭DFA♭C♯
Formula: 135♭7♯9

How to play Bb7(#9) on guitar

Shape 1 · 1st position
Shape 2 · fret 5 · barre
Shape 3 · fret 3 · barre
Shape 4 · fret 7

no 5th (F)

Some shapes leave out: 5th (F). The caption of each one says what is missing. The 5th is the first to go: it barely changes the sound of the chord.

Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. x = do not play the string, o = open string. The coloured dot is the root (B flat). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.

Bb7(#9) inversions on guitar

The same Bb7(#9) with another chord note in the bass (the lowest note that sounds). The notes stay the same, but the colour changes, and the bass line can move by step from one chord to the next. In a chord symbol, the bass comes after the slash.

3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb7(#9)/D
3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb7(#9)/D
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb7(#9)/F
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb7(#9)/F
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb7(#9)/Ab
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb7(#9)/Ab

About the seventh sharp nine chord

A dominant chord with a sharp ninth: the ♯9 sounds like a minor third above the major third, so the chord is major and minor at once. It is a blues sound; in jazz it appears as the dominant of a minor ii–V–i, and in 1970s funk it even served as the main chord. Rock and pop guitarists call it the "Hendrix chord".

Notes and intervals of Bb7(#9)

Bb7(#9) (B flat seventh sharp nine) is built from 5 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:

B♭ · 1 · root
D · 3 · major third
F · 5 · perfect fifth
A♭ · ♭7 · minor seventh
C♯ · ♯9 · sharp ninth

Other B flat chords

Seventh sharp nine: other roots

Frequently asked questions

How do you play the Bb7(#9) chord on guitar?

Bb7(#9) (B flat seventh sharp nine) has 4 fingerings on this page, from easiest to hardest. Each diagram shows the fingers, the open strings (o) and the strings you do not play (x), and you can hear every shape.

What notes are in Bb7(#9)?

The notes of Bb7(#9) are B♭, D, F, A♭, C♯. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♯9: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, sharp ninth.

What does Bb7(#9) mean?

Bb7(#9) is the chord symbol for B flat seventh sharp nine. A dominant chord with a sharp ninth: the ♯9 sounds like a minor third above the major third, so the chord is major and minor at once. It is a blues sound; in jazz it appears as the dominant of a minor ii–V–i, and in 1970s funk it even served as the main chord. Rock and pop guitarists call it the "Hendrix chord".

Bb7(#9) on other instruments

All guitar chords