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C9b5 Piano 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.

Piano

Recommended voicing
Left hand C3 · Bb3 fingers 5–1
Right hand E4 · Gb4 · D5 fingers 1–2–5

How to play the C9b5 chord on piano

Split the recommended voicing between the hands: play C3 and Bb3 with the left hand and E4, Gb4 and D5 with the right. Suggested fingering is 5–1 on the left and 1–2–5 on the right (1 is the thumb).

Other names for the C9b5 chord

Other names: C 9th flat 5

Music theory name: ninth flat five chord

Common name: C 9b5 chord

Notes and intervals in the C9b5 chord

Note Interval
C Root
E Major 3rd
Gb Diminished 5th
Bb Minor 7th
D Major 9th

More chords with C as the root

The same chord type in other keys