Master the D9b5 Chord on Guitar: Play & Sound Like a Pro

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Five notes build the D9b5 chord, D ninth flat five: D, F#, Ab, C and E. The F# is the major third, the Ab the lowered fifth, the C the minor seventh and the E the ninth.

Out of the three listed voicings, one rings an open string and two use a barre, with the lowest at the 1st fret. Reading the notes as a stack of intervals is easier with the ninth chords article. The D whole-tone scale holds all five notes.

The player labels each note on every shape, so the Ab is easy to find.

D 9th with flat 5th guitar chord is also written as D9b5, D9(b5) or D9-5.

Notes of the D 9b5 chord:

D F# Ab C E

Tones in the Dominant Ninth Flat five chord:

Formula: 1 3 b5 b7 9

D 9b5 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Let the D string play without pressing any fret
Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 1 of the B string

Position 2 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

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

Position 3 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Place your index finger (1) on the fret 9 of the A, G and B strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 10 of the low E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 10 of the high E 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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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

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

FAQ

Which notes spell D9b5?

D9b5 is D, F#, Ab, C and E. The Ab is the lowered fifth and the E is the major ninth over the root.

How does D ninth flat five differ from D9?

D9 has D, F#, A, C and E. D9b5 lowers the A to Ab and keeps the other four notes.

How many voicings does D9b5 have?

There are 3 voicings, from fret 1 to fret 10. One has an open string and two are barre voicings.

Which scale works with D9b5?

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

Where is the tritone in D9b5?

D and Ab are a tritone apart, and so are F# and C. The ninth, E, adds color without changing those two tritones.