Guitar · seventh flat nine

E♭7♭9 Chord on Guitar

Eb Dominant 7♭9 is Eb, G, Bb, Db, Fb — the 1-3-5-b7-b9 pattern of a seventh flat nine chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.

There is no open Eb7b9 on guitar. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated advanced.

Start here — Movable Root-5 Shape (5th fret)

Sits at fret 5 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.

Movable Root-5 Shape (5th fret)

Press play to hear Eb7b9 the way this shape actually sounds.

What beginners get wrong

Moving in and out of it

The shape above: Movable Root-5 Shape (5th fret).

Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.

Eb7b9 on other instruments

Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.

Piano

E♭7♭9 on piano

4 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Or see Eb Dominant 7♭9 on every instrument at once.

Chords next door

Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on guitar.

E♭

Eb Major

E♭m

Eb Minor

E♭dim

Eb Diminished

E♭aug

Eb Augmented

E♭sus2

Eb Suspended 2nd

E♭sus4

Eb Suspended 4th

Eb7b9 on Guitar — questions people ask

What is the easiest way to play Eb7b9 on guitar?

“Movable Root-5 Shape (5th fret)” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest Eb7b9 shape on guitar. Sits at fret 5 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath. There is no open Eb7b9 on guitar, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.

What notes are in the Eb Dominant 7♭9 chord?

Eb Dominant 7♭9 is Eb, G, Bb, Db, Fb — the 1-3-5-b7-b9 interval pattern of a seventh flat nine chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.

What can I play instead of Eb7b9?

The nearest stand-ins on guitar that keep the same root are Ebsus4, Ebsus2, Eb. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.

Can I play Eb7b9 on other instruments?

Yes. Eb7b9 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on piano.

Learn the theory behind Eb7b9

The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.

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