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C7#9 Piano Chord

A raw, urgent sound containing both a major third and a minor third (augmented ninth = minor third). Made famous by Jimi Hendrix in "Purple Haze". A staple of blues-rock and funk.

Piano

Recommended voicing
Left hand C3 · Bb3 fingers 5–1
Right hand E4 · Eb5 fingers 1–5

How to play the C7#9 chord on piano

Split the recommended voicing between the hands: play C3 and Bb3 with the left hand and E4 and Eb5 with the right. Suggested fingering is 5–1 on the left and 1–5 on the right (1 is the thumb). The perfect fifth G can usually be omitted from an extended chord, keeping the sound clear and the voicing manageable.

Notation for C7#9 chord

Other names: C 7th sharp 9, C Hendrix chord

Music theory name: seventh sharp nine chord

Common name: C Hendrix chord

Intervals and tones in C7#9 chord

Note Interval
C Root
E Major 3rd
G Perfect 5th
B Minor 7th
Eb Augmented 9th

More chords with C as the root

The same chord type in other keys