E flat Seventh Sharp Nine Chord (E♭7♯9)

1Composition: what it contains

E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭ – F♯

Symbol

E♭7♯9

Also written

E♭7♯9, E♭7(♯9), E♭7+9

Formula

1 3 5 ♭7 ♯9

Same sound as

D♯7♯9

2Appearance: diagrams and sound

On the guitar

On the ukulele

On the piano

On the staff

On bass and as an arpeggio

3Indications: what it is used for

Famous in rock, funk, blues-rock and soul as a tonic dominant chord with attitude, and in jazz as an altered V7 resolving to I or i. Its sharp ninth is enharmonic to the minor third, so it suits minor-pentatonic soloing over a dominant groove. In jazz, the altered scale or half-whole diminished scale fits over it. It frequently appears in blues and funk vamps and as the V chord in minor ii–V–i progressions.

4Dosage: how to practise it

On guitar, learn the classic shape rooted on the fifth string (root, 3, ♭7, ♯9) and practise funk rhythms at 90–120 BPM, muting between hits. On piano, play the left-hand voicing 3-♭7-♯9 and the right-hand altered voicings. Practise iiø7–V7♯9–im and a twelve-bar blues with every chord as 7♯9. Arpeggiate the chord. Five to ten minutes daily. On piano, practise comping with short, accented hits. Try improvising with the blues scale over a 7♯9 vamp, then with the altered scale, to hear both colours.

5Warnings and common mistakes

The sharp ninth is not a minor third: it sits above the major third, which must also be present. Do not confuse 7♯9 with m7, which has no major third. Avoid placing the ♯9 below the third in voicings, which turns the sound into a muddy minor chord. In a major ii–V–I, the sharp ninth may clash with a melody containing the natural ninth. The symbol '7+9' is ambiguous; prefer 7♯9.

6Interactions with chords, scales and keys

Inversions

• Inversion 1 · E♭7♯9/G · G – B♭ – D♭ – F♯ – E♭ Play
• Inversion 2 · E♭7♯9/B♭ · B♭ – D♭ – F♯ – E♭ – G Play
• Inversion 3 · E♭7♯9/D♭ · D♭ – F♯ – E♭ – G – B♭ Play
• Inversion 4 · E♭7♯9/F♯ · F♯ – E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭ Play

Scales to play over E♭7♯9

• E flat Half-Whole Diminished Scale

7Other presentations available

The same chord from every note

C7♯9 C♯7♯9 D7♯9 E7♯9 F7♯9 F♯7♯9 G7♯9 A♭7♯9 A7♯9 B♭7♯9 B7♯9

Other chords on E♭

E♭ E♭m E♭dim E♭aug E♭sus2 E♭sus4 E♭5 E♭6 E♭m6 E♭7 E♭maj7 E♭m7 E♭m7♭5 E♭dim7 E♭m(maj7) E♭7sus4 E♭add9 E♭m(add9) E♭6/9 E♭9 E♭maj9 E♭m9 E♭11 E♭m11 E♭13 E♭7♭9 E♭7♯5 E♭7♭5