F#9b5 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.
Recommended voicing
Left hand
F#2 · E3
fingers 5–1
Right hand
C4 · Ab4 · Bb4
fingers 1–4–5
With bass · rootless
Left hand
C3 · E3 · Ab3 · Bb3
fingers 5–3–2–1
Right hand
Free
melody / improvisation
Jazz accompaniment with a bass player: the bass supplies the root, leaving the right hand free for melody or improvisation.
Notation for F#9b5 chord
Other names: F# 9th flat 5
Music theory name: ninth flat five chord
Common name: F# 9b5 chord
Intervals and tones in F#9b5 chord
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| F# | Root |
| B | Major 3rd |
| C | Diminished 5th |
| E | Minor 7th |
| Ab | Major 9th |