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B9b5 Guitar Chord

A tense jazz chord with a tritone. Often serves as a tritone substitution for the dominant. The fifth is already altered, so the perfect fifth is not played — the remaining notes are all included.

Guitar

Strings X–1–0–1–1–0

How to play the B9b5 chord on guitar

Read the string pattern X–1–0–1–1–0 from the low E string to the high E string. Numbers in the pattern are frets; numbers in the colored dots are left-hand fingers. X means a muted string and 0 means an open string.

6th string (low E) Do not play
5th string (A) Fret 1 · index finger
4th string (D) Play open
3rd string (G) Fret 1 · middle finger
2nd string (B) Fret 1 · ring finger
1st string (high E) Play open

Notation for B9b5 chord

Other names: B 9th flat 5

Music theory name: ninth flat five chord

Common name: B 9b5 chord

Intervals and tones in B9b5 chord

Note Interval
B Root
D Major 3rd
E Diminished 5th
Ab Minor 7th
C Major 9th

All Variations

Open
X–1–0–1–1–0
Fret 4
6–X–0–5–5–4
Fret 5
6–5–6–5–5–6
Fret 12
X–13–12–13–13–0

More chords with B as the root

The same chord type in other keys