Practice C#7(b9) Guitar Chord: Master Your Technique

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C# 7(b9) position 1 guitar chord diagram

Spell C#7(b9), or C# seventh flat nine, from C# and you get C#, E#, G#, B and D: a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and a flat ninth. It is a dominant seventh with one extra colour, a flat ninth (D), which sits a half step above the root, one octave up.

Three voicings in total, from fret 3 to fret 10, and two of them are barre shapes. Try the C# Phrygian Dominant scale next. It is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale and it contains all five chord tones, so it fits the chord from start to finish.

Hear C#7(b9) as a strum and as an arpeggio on the interactive fretboard at the top, one string at a time.

C# 7th with flat 9th guitar chord is also written as C#7(b9), C#7b9 or C#7-9.

C# 7(b9) chord Notes:

C# E# G# B D

How the Dominant Seventh Flat Nine Added chord is built:

Formula: 1 3 5 b7 b9

C# 7(B9) Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Barre Movable

C# 7(b9) position 1 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

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

Position 2 Movable

C# 7(b9) position 2 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the B string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the G string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the low E string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the D string

Position 3 Barre Movable

C# 7(b9) position 3 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 9 of the low E, D and B strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 10 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the high E string

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Play This Chord With Other Roots

C 7(b9) | D 7(b9) | E 7(b9) | F 7(b9) | G 7(b9) | A 7(b9) | B 7(b9) | C#7(b9) | D#7(b9) | F#7(b9) | G#7(b9) | A#7(b9) | Ab7(b9) | Bb7(b9) | Db7(b9) | Eb7(b9) | Gb7(b9)

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

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

FAQ

What notes are in C#7(b9)?

C#, E#, G#, B and D. That is the root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and a flat ninth. The E# is the major third and sounds the same as F.

What does the b9 in the C# seventh flat nine chord mean?

It is the ninth degree lowered by a half step, so on C# it is the note D, a half step higher than the root one octave up. That tight interval gives the chord its tense colour. Everything else is an ordinary dominant seventh.

Why is the third of C#7(b9) written E# instead of F?

Chord tones follow letter names: root C, third E, fifth G. The major third higher than C# is E#, which sounds like F. Writing F would break the letter sequence and turn the interval into a diminished fourth.

Is C#7(b9) the same as Db7(b9)?

They sound the same but are spelled differently. Db7(b9) uses Db, F, Ab, Cb and Ebb, while C#7(b9) uses C#, E#, G#, B and D. Sharp names tend to appear in sharp keys and flat names in flat keys.

How many ways can you play C#7(b9)?

Three voicings are listed, spanning from the third fret to the tenth fret. Two of them are barre voicings, and none of them uses open strings.