A9b5 Guitar Chord | Play, Hear and Practice Interactively

Spelled A, C#, Eb, G and B, the A9b5 chord is A ninth flat five. It combines a major third (C#), a lowered fifth (Eb), a minor seventh (G) and a ninth (B) over the root.

The page lists three voicings. Two use open strings, two include a barre, and the lowest fret is the 1st. A good next stop for altered dominants like this one is gypsy jazz chords. Every note is found in the A whole-tone scale.

Choose a tempo, start the drum loop in the player and play along, shape by shape, until the lowered fifth sounds familiar.

A 9th with flat 5th guitar chord is also written as A9b5, A9(b5) or A9-5.

A 9b5 chord Notes:

A C# Eb G B

Tones in the Dominant Ninth Flat five chord:

Formula: 1 3 b5 b7 9

A 9b5 Chord Interactive Fretboard

Want a structured chord roadmap instead of jumping between pages?
Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.

A 9b5 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Let the G string play without pressing any fret
Let the B string play without pressing any fret
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D string

Position 2 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the A, G and B strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the low E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the high E string

Position 3 Barre Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D and high E strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 8 of the B string

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C 9b5 | D 9b5 | E 9b5 | F 9b5 | G 9b5 | A 9b5 | B 9b5 | C#9b5 | D#9b5 | F#9b5 | G#9b5 | A#9b5 | Ab9b5 | Bb9b5 | Db9b5 | Eb9b5 | Gb9b5

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In the ebook you can also find maps show you the tones in a chord all along the fretboard. They are incredibly helpful because allow you to:

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in A9b5?

A9b5 is A, C#, Eb, G and B. The Eb is the lowered fifth and the B is the major ninth over the root.

How many voicings does A9b5 have, and how many use open strings?

There are 3 voicings, from fret 1 to fret 8. Two use open strings and two are barre voicings.

What is the tritone in A ninth flat five?

A and Eb are a tritone apart, and so are C# and G. Those two tritones are the core of the chord's tension.

Which scale lines up with A9b5?

The A whole-tone scale is A, B, C#, D#, E# and G. All five chord pitches are in it, with the chord's Eb written as D#.

How does A9b5 differ from A9?

A9 has A, C#, E, G and B. A9b5 lowers the E to Eb, so the fifth becomes a diminished fifth.