How to play Ab7#9: a dominant 7th sharp 9 (the Hendrix chord) built on Ab, with 1 voicing, the notes, the keys it belongs to, and songs that use it.
The first diagram is a common voicing: played at the first few frets. An X above a string means don't play it; an O means play it open.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: 4 2 4 1 1 x (x = not played).
| Note | Ab | C | Gb | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | 3 | b7 | #9 |
Ab7#9 is a dominant 7th sharp 9 (the Hendrix chord) with Ab as its root. The full theoretical spelling is Ab, C, Eb, Gb, B. This voicing omits the 5th, the tone guitarists drop first when fitting a chord onto six strings.
Ab7#9 is not a diatonic chord in any major or minor key: it turns up as a borrowed chord, a passing chord or an altered dominant, which is part of its color.
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Ab7#9 is spelled Ab, C, Eb, Gb, B: the root, 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, sharp 9th. The common guitar voicing sounds Ab, C, Gb, B, leaving out the 5th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: 4 2 4 1 1 x (x means the string is not played). Lay your index finger across the 1st fret from the G string to the B string (a barre). Add the A string at the 2nd fret. Add the low E and D strings at the 4th fret. Strum from the low E string down, skipping the high E string.
Ab7#9 is not a diatonic chord in any major or minor key: it turns up as a borrowed chord, a passing chord or an altered dominant, which is part of its color.
