C# 7b9 (C#7b9)

Also written as Db 7b9 (Db and C# are the same key).

1+3+5+b7+b9
E#BDC#G#
4 4
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Notes in C# 7b9

C# (root)E#G#BD

Inversions

Same notes as C# 7b9, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

C# in the bass

E#BDC#G#

1st inversion

E# in the bass

E#BDG#C#

2nd inversion

G# in the bass

BDE#G#C#

3rd inversion

B in the bass

BDE#C#G#

4th inversion

D in the bass

DE#BC#G#

Open voicings

A close-position chord like C# 7b9 can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

B on the bottom

E#DC#G#

Drop 3

G# on the bottom

E#BDC#

Play C#, E#, G#, B and D together and you get C# 7b9.

A dominant seventh with a flattened ninth stacked on top, tense and dramatic. It shows up constantly in jazz and in flamenco-adjacent harmony, and it resolves with even more urgency than a plain dominant seventh does.

Difficulty: Advanced. Category: Extended chords. Click any key on the diagram above to hear that single note.