C 7#9 (C7#9)

Download MIDI
1+3+5+b7+#9
CEGBbD#
4 4

Notes in C 7#9

C (root)EGBbD#

Inversions

Same notes as C 7#9, 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

CEGBbD#

1st inversion

E in the bass (C7#9/E)

EGCBbD#

2nd inversion

G in the bass (C7#9/G)

GCEBbD#

3rd inversion

Bb in the bass (C7#9/Bb)

CEGBbD#

4th inversion

D# in the bass (C7#9/D#)

CEGD#Bb

Open voicings

A close-position chord like C 7#9 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

Bb on the bottom

CEGBbD#

Drop 3

G on the bottom

GCEBbD#

C 7#9 consists of C, E, G, Bb and D#, played at the same time.

A dominant seventh with a sharpened ninth on top, best known as the Hendrix chord from its heavy use in classic rock and funk. It blends major and minor color in a single chord, since the sharp ninth sits on the same key as the minor third stacked over the chord's major third.

Difficulty: Advanced. Category: Extended chords. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.