Eb9 Eb dominant ninth chord
- Notes
- Eb G Bb Db F
- Formula
- 1 3 5 b7 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 10 14 above the root
- Also written
- D#9 (D# F## A# C# E#)
- Other symbols
- Ebdom9
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 F is a major third (4 semitones). A dominant seventh (Eb7) with the ninth, F, on top. Guitarists usually leave out the fifth, Bb; the chord still reads as Eb9 while the third G and seventh Db are there.
Eb9 on the piano
Root position from Eb4: Eb4, G4, Bb4, Db5, F5. Middle C is C4.
Eb9 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 6 6 (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 G3 Db4 F4 Bb4
11 13 11 12 11 13 (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 Bb3 Db4 G4 Bb4 F5
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 Eb9
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 F | Eb9 | |
| 1st inversion | G Bb Db F Eb | Eb9/G | |
| 2nd inversion | Bb Db F Eb G | Eb9/Bb | |
| 3rd inversion | Db F Eb G Bb | Eb9/Db | |
| 4th inversion | F Eb G Bb Db | Eb7/F (also read as Eb9/F) |
Where Eb9 fits
Eb9 is V9 in Ab major. It resolves like Eb7. 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 G Bb Db F are Gm7b5, which is why pianists who leave the root to the bass player grab that shape.