How to play B7b9: a dominant 7th flat 9 built on B, 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: x 2 1 2 1 x (x = not played).
| Note | B | D# | A | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | 3 | b7 | b9 |
B7b9 is a dominant 7th flat 9 with B as its root. The full theoretical spelling is B, D#, F#, A, C. This voicing omits the 5th, the tone guitarists drop first when fitting a chord onto six strings.
B7b9 is a diatonic chord (built from the key's own notes) in 0 major keys and 1 minor key. The roman numeral is the chord's place in that key; tap a key for all of its chords.
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B7b9 is spelled B, D#, F#, A, C: the root, 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, flat 9th. The common guitar voicing sounds B, D#, A, C, leaving out the 5th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 2 1 2 1 x (x means the string is not played). Lay your index finger across the 1st fret from the D string to the B string (a barre). Add the A and G strings at the 2nd fret. Strum from the A string down, skipping the high E string; the low E string stays silent.
B7b9 belongs to one key: E minor (the V, from the harmonic minor).
