G 7b9 (G7b9)

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

BDFGAb

2nd inversion

D in the bass

DFGBAb

3rd inversion

F in the bass

FGBDAb

4th inversion

Ab in the bass

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

G 7b9 is built from G, B, D, F and Ab.

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.