G Minor 9b5 (Gm9b5)

Download MIDI
1+b3+b5+b7+9
GFABbDb
4 4

Notes in G Minor 9b5

G (root)BbDbFA

Inversions

Same notes as G Minor 9b5, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

G in the bass

GFABbDb

1st inversion

Bb in the bass (Gm9b5/Bb)

FAGBbDb

2nd inversion

Db in the bass (Gm9b5/Db)

FAGDbBb

3rd inversion

F in the bass (Gm9b5/F)

FAGBbDb

4th inversion

A in the bass (Gm9b5/A)

AGFBbDb

Open voicings

A close-position chord like G Minor 9b5 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

F on the bottom

FGABbDb

Drop 3

Db on the bottom

GFADbBb

Press G, Bb, Db, F and A together on the keyboard and you're playing G Minor 9b5.

A half diminished seventh with a ninth added. It softens the searching quality of m7b5 into something smoother and more modern, and it works well as the ii chord in a minor key ii-V-i when you want a fuller sound than the plain seventh.

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.