G 7b9 (G7b9)

Download MIDI
1+3+5+b7+b9
GBDFAb
4 4

Notes in G 7b9

G (root)BDFAb

Inversions

Same notes as G 7b9, 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

GBDFAb

1st inversion

B in the bass (G7b9/B)

BDFGAb

2nd inversion

D in the bass (G7b9/D)

DFGBAb

3rd inversion

F in the bass (G7b9/F)

FGBDAb

4th inversion

Ab in the bass (G7b9/Ab)

GBDFAb

Open voicings

A close-position chord like G 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

F on the bottom

FGBDAb

Drop 3

D on the bottom

DGBFAb

Play G, B, D, F and Ab together and you get G 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 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.