E♭9 chord
E♭9 is E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F: 1–3–5–♭7–9 built on E♭. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
x-x-1-0-2-1 · open · easy
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- x-x-1-0-2-1
E♭9 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · E♭–G–B♭–D♭–F · right hand 1-2-3-4-5
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
E♭9 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
0-3-1-4 · open · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9
- First shape
- 0-3-1-4
Where E♭9 usually goes next
Three changes cover most of what E♭9 does in songs.
- E♭9 → A♭ (dominant, pulls to the chord a fifth below)
Guitar: E♭9 (x-x-1-0-2-1) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 5th fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 6th fret, the pinky finger comes down on the D string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared note: E♭.
Piano: E♭9 to A♭: play A♭ in 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while G moves up to A♭ and D♭ down to C. A♭ - E♭9 → A♭maj7 (I in A♭ major)
Guitar: E♭9 (x-x-1-0-2-1) to A♭maj7 (4-6-5-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 5th fret, your ring finger lands on the G string, 5th fret, the pinky finger comes down on the A string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared notes: E♭ and G.
Piano: E♭9 to A♭maj7: play A♭maj7 in 2nd inversion (E♭–G–A♭–C) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves down to A♭ and D♭ down to C. A♭maj7 - E♭9 → Fm7 (vi in A♭ major)
Guitar: E♭9 (x-x-1-0-2-1) to Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 3rd fret. Shared notes: E♭ and F.
Piano: E♭9 to Fm7: play Fm7 in 1st inversion (A♭–C–E♭–F) and F stays under the same finger, while G moves up to A♭, D♭ down to C and D♭ up to E♭. Fm7
Guitar with a capo: capo 3, C9 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 3, C9 shape.
How E♭9 is built
E♭9 is a dominant ninth: E♭7 with the ninth on top. It has the pull of a seventh chord with a funkier, fuller color, and like E♭7 it leans toward A♭.
From E♭, go 4 half steps up to G, 3 half steps up to B♭, 3 half steps up to D♭ then 4 half steps up to F. D♯9 is the other spelling of the same chord.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ | root | 0 | |
| G | major third | 4 | |
| B♭ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| D♭ | minor seventh | 10 | |
| F | ninth | 14 |
Keys and progressions with E♭9
No major or natural minor key contains E♭9 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
Chords close to E♭9
- E♭9 is E♭7 plus F. E♭7
Chords that share most of their notes with E♭9: E♭7, E♭add9, Gm7♭5, B♭m6, E♭, E♭sus2.
Every E♭ chord
E♭9 chord: questions
What notes are in the E♭9 chord?
E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F. E♭9 is built 1–3–5–♭7–9 from E♭: G is the major third, B♭ is the perfect fifth, D♭ is the minor seventh and F is the ninth.
How do you play E♭9 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-x-1-0-2-1 (open). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play E♭9 on piano?
Play E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-4-5. E♭ sits on the black key between D and E. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play E♭9 on ukulele?
0-3-1-4 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is E♭9 in?
No major or natural minor key contains E♭9 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
What's the difference between E♭9 and E♭7?
E♭9 is E♭7 plus F.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.