How to play C7b9: a dominant 7th flat 9 built on C, 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 3 2 3 2 x (x = not played).
| Note | C | E | Bb | Db |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | R | 3 | b7 | b9 |
C7b9 is a dominant 7th flat 9 with C as its root. The full theoretical spelling is C, E, G, Bb, Db. This voicing omits the 5th, the tone guitarists drop first when fitting a chord onto six strings.
C7b9 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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C7b9 is spelled C, E, G, Bb, Db: the root, 3rd, 5th, flat 7th, flat 9th. The common guitar voicing sounds C, E, Bb, Db, leaving out the 5th.
Frets from the low E string to the high E string: x 3 2 3 2 x (x means the string is not played). Lay your index finger across the 2nd fret from the D string to the B string (a barre). Add the A and G strings at the 3rd fret. Strum from the A string down, skipping the high E string; the low E string stays silent.
C7b9 belongs to one key: F minor (the V, from the harmonic minor).
