Piano chord
E♭9E flat dominant ninth
- E♭1
- G3
- B♭5
- D♭♭7
- F9
- Notes
- 5
- Positions
- 4
- Span
- 14semitones
- Fingers
- 5 + 1-3-5
How to play E♭9 on piano
- Find E♭: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
- Left hand: play E♭ with the little finger (5), an octave below the right hand.
- Right hand: 1 on G, 3 on D♭, 5 on F.
- Leave out B♭: the chord is still recognisable without it, and the hand stays relaxed.
- Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.
Root position · E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭ – F
1st inversion · G – B♭ – D♭ – F – E♭
2nd inversion · B♭ – D♭ – F – E♭ – G
3rd inversion · D♭ – F – E♭ – G – B♭
This chord has more notes than one hand holds comfortably; see the two-hand voicing below.
E♭9 inversions
Use these 4 positions to move between chords with as little hand movement as possible. Root position starts on E♭; the inversions start on the other notes of the chord.
- Root positionbass: E♭E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭ – F
- 1st inversionbass: GG – B♭ – D♭ – F – E♭
- 2nd inversionbass: B♭B♭ – D♭ – F – E♭ – G
- 3rd inversionbass: D♭D♭ – F – E♭ – G – B♭
E♭9 with two hands
A practical voicing: the left hand plays E♭, the right hand plays the colour notes G–D♭–F. Notes that can be left out are left out.
E♭9 on other instruments
About the E♭9 chord
To build E flat dominant ninth, take these 5 notes from the root up: E♭ (1), G (3), B♭ (5), D♭ (♭7), F (9). A dominant ninth: a dominant seventh with the ninth on top. Funky and rich, typical of blues, funk and soul.
The keys are E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭ – F, counted up from E♭; the distance from the lowest to the highest key is 14 semitones. Few hands reach that far, so share E♭9 between both hands, with E♭ in the left.
In the inversions of E♭9 the root moves up and another note takes the bass. In the 1st inversion the bass is G (G–B♭–D♭–F–E♭). In the 2nd inversion the bass is B♭ (B♭–D♭–F–E♭–G). In the 3rd inversion the bass is D♭ (D♭–F–E♭–G–B♭).
Compared with E♭7, E♭9 has one more note, F.
Questions
What notes are in the E♭9 chord?
E♭9 (E flat dominant ninth) has 5 notes: E♭ (1), G (3), B♭ (5), D♭ (♭7), F (9).
How many inversions does E♭9 have?
E♭9 can be played in 4 positions: Root position (E♭–G–B♭–D♭–F); 1st inversion (G–B♭–D♭–F–E♭); 2nd inversion (B♭–D♭–F–E♭–G); 3rd inversion (D♭–F–E♭–G–B♭).
What is the difference between E♭9 and E♭7?
Compared with E♭7, E♭9 has one more note, F.
Can I play E♭9 with one hand?
In root position E♭9 spans 14 semitones, more than an octave. Play the root with the left hand and the upper notes with the right, or leave out the fifth.