Eb7b9 Eb dominant seventh flat nine chord
- Notes
- Eb G Bb Db Fb
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 b9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 13 above the root
- Also written
- D#7b9 (D# F## A# C# E)
- Other symbols
- Eb7(b9), Eb7-9
Eb to G is a major third (4 semitones), G to Bb is a minor third (3 semitones), Bb to Db is a minor third (3 semitones), Db to Fb is a minor third (3 semitones). A dominant seventh with a flattened ninth, Fb, 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.
Eb7b9 on the piano
Root position from Eb4: Eb4, G4, Bb4, Db5, Fb5. Middle C is C4.
Eb7b9 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 Eb as its lowest note.
x 6 5 6 5 x (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 G3 Db4 Fb4, fifth left out
11 x 11 12 11 12 (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 Db4 G4 Bb4 Fb5
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 Eb7b9
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 | Eb G Bb Db Fb | Eb7b9 | |
| 1st inversion | G Bb Db Fb Eb | Eb7b9/G | |
| 2nd inversion | Bb Db Fb Eb G | Eb7b9/Bb | |
| 3rd inversion | Db Fb Eb G Bb | Eb7b9/Db | |
| 4th inversion | Fb Eb G Bb Db | Eb7/E |
Where Eb7b9 fits
Eb7b9 is V7b9 in Ab minor. Its upper four notes G Bb Db Fb are Gdim7, so Eb7b9 and that diminished seventh are interchangeable over a Eb bass. The flat ninth Fb falls a half step to the fifth of Abm.