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Guitar chords · Dominant 9th

D♭9 chord on guitar (Db9)

D♭9 (D♭ 9th) has five notes: D♭, F, A♭, C♭ (played as B) and E♭, the , 3, 5, ♭7 and 9.

Shapes

How to play D♭9

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

D♭9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 4 or the E shape at fret 9. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 4

    ×R3♭795D♭FC♭E♭A♭
  • E shape · fret 9

    9frR5♭7359D♭A♭C♭FA♭E♭
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes D♭9 dominant 9th

A 9th chord is a chord with the 9th stacked on top. It keeps the 's pull to the chord a 5th below but sounds fuller and smoother: the sound of funk, soul and the blues. Keep the 3rd, the ♭7th and the 9th; the 5th can go.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The 3rd, the ♭7th and the 9th make D♭9 a 9th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. D♭Rroot
  2. F3essential
  3. A♭5optional
  4. C♭♭7essential
  5. E♭9essential
EADGBE0135791215D♭D♭D♭D♭D♭D♭D♭FA♭C♭E♭FC♭E♭FA♭C♭E♭FA♭C♭E♭FA♭C♭E♭FA♭C♭E♭FA♭C♭FA♭C♭E♭F
  • D♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

D♭9 usually resolves to G♭ or G♭m, the chord a 5th below: the V9–I move.

D♭9 and C♯9 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with D♭9

D♭9 belongs to two keys: G♭ major (V9) and E♭ minor (VII9).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

D♭9 over another bass note

A keeps D♭9 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • D♭9/F

    D♭9 with its 3rd, F, in the bass.

  • D♭9/A♭

    D♭9 with its 5th, A♭, in the bass.

  • D♭9/C♭

    D♭9 with its ♭7th, C♭, in the bass.

Questions

D♭9, in short

What notes are in the D♭9 chord?
D♭9 (D♭ 9th) has five notes: D♭, F, A♭, C♭ (played as B) and E♭, the , 3, 5, ♭7 and 9.
How do you play D♭9 on guitar?
D♭9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 4 or the E shape at fret 9.
What key is D♭9 in?
D♭9 belongs to two keys: G♭ major (V9) and E♭ minor (VII9).
Is D♭9 the same as C♯9?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. D♭9 is the spelling in G♭ major and E♭ minor; C♯9 in F♯ major and D♯ minor.
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