Ninths
C dominant 7th sharp 9 chord
The “Hendrix chord” — gritty, with major and minor 3rds clashing.
- Notes
- CEGB♭D♯
- Formula
- 135♭7♯9
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th · augmented 9th
How to play C7♯9
About the C dominant 7th sharp 9 chord
Playing it
On guitar, C7♯9 has an open-position shape, x31310, using four fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the low E string.
On piano, C7♯9 has two black keys (B♭ and D♯) and three white keys. In root position it spans more than an octave, so many pianists play the root with the left hand and the rest with the right.
On ukulele the usual C7♯9 shape is 0301, using two fingers. It leaves out the root, which a bass player (or your ear) fills in.
