E7b9 E dominant seventh flat nine chord
- Notes
- E G# B D F
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 b9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 13 above the root
- Other symbols
- E7(b9), E7-9
E to G# is a major third (4 semitones), G# to B is a minor third (3 semitones), B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh with a flattened ninth, F, a half step (plus an octave) above the root. It is the sharpest-sounding of the common dominant chords and pulls hard towards a minor tonic.
E7b9 on the piano
Root position from E4: E4, G#4, B4, D5, F5. Middle C is C4.
E7b9 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 E as its lowest note.
0 x 0 1 0 1 (low E to high e)
Sounds E2 D3 G#3 B3 F4
x 7 6 7 6 x (low E to high e)
Sounds E3 G#3 D4 F4, fifth left out
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 seventh flat nine chords on other roots.
Inversions of E7b9
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 | E G# B D F | E7b9 | |
| 1st inversion | G# B D F E | E7b9/G# | |
| 2nd inversion | B D F E G# | E7b9/B | |
| 3rd inversion | D F E G# B | E7b9/D | |
| 4th inversion | F E G# B D | E7/F (also read as E7b9/F) |
Where E7b9 fits
E7b9 is V7b9 in A minor. Its upper four notes G# B D F are G#dim7, so E7b9 and that diminished seventh are interchangeable over a E bass. The flat ninth F falls a half step to the fifth of Am.