Db9 Db dominant ninth chord
- Notes
- Db F Ab Cb Eb
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 above the root
- Also written
- C#9 (C# E# G# B D#)
- Other symbols
- Dbdom9
Db to F is a major third (4 semitones), F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones), Ab to Cb is a minor third (3 semitones), Cb to Eb is a major third (4 semitones). A dominant seventh (Db7) with the ninth, Eb, on top. Guitarists usually leave out the fifth, Ab; the chord still reads as Db9 while the third F and seventh Cb are there.
Db9 on the piano
Root position from Db4: Db4, F4, Ab4, Cb5, Eb5. Middle C is C4.
Db9 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has Db as its lowest note.
x 4 3 4 4 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds Db3 F3 Cb4 Eb4 Ab4
9 11 9 10 9 11 (low E to high e)
Sounds Db3 Ab3 Cb4 F4 Ab4 Eb5
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play dominant ninth chords on other roots.
Inversions of Db9
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | Db F Ab Cb Eb | Db9 | |
| 1st inversion | F Ab Cb Eb Db | Db9/F | |
| 2nd inversion | Ab Cb Eb Db F | Db9/Ab | |
| 3rd inversion | Cb Eb Db F Ab | Db9/B | |
| 4th inversion | Eb Db F Ab Cb | Db7/Eb (also read as Db9/Eb) |
Where Db9 fits
Db9 is V9 in Gb major. It resolves like Db7. In funk and blues it is also played as I9, IV9 and V9 of a twelve-bar blues, with no pull to resolve at all. Without the root, its upper four notes F Ab Cb Eb are Fm7b5, which is why pianists who leave the root to the bass player grab that shape.