Chords
C# M9b5
C# · E# · G · B# · D#
C# M9b5 (C#maj9b5) is a major chord of 5 notes: C# · E# · G · B# · D#.
Also written C#M9b5
C# M9b5
C# · E# · G · B# · D#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | C#3 · E#3 · G3 · B#4 · D#4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | C#3 · E#3 · G3 · B#3 · D#4 | |
| Shell | C#3 · E#3 · B#4 | |
| Rootless | E#3 · B#4 · D#4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
C# M9b5 (C#maj9b5) contains the notes C# · E# · G · B# · D#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of C# M9b5 puts a chord tone other than C# in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales C# M9b5 belongs to.
In which keys
C# M9b5 is diatonic to 2 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Extensions beyond the seventh count when every note sits in the key.
Scales that contain it
C# M9b5 fits inside these scales, each built on C#.
- C# IchikosuchoC# · D# · E# · F# · G · G# · A# · B#
Understanding the C# M9b5 chord
Names and symbols
C#maj9b5 is the chord symbol for C# M9b5; it is also written C#M9b5.
maj7, M7, Δ7, ma7 and ^7 all mean the major seventh. A lowercase m7 is a different chord, the minor seventh, so the capital letter and the triangle are the only things keeping the two apart on a chart.
Common questions
- What notes are in the C# M9b5 chord?
- The C# M9b5 chord contains the notes C# · E# · G · B# · D#: the root C# with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5d, 7M, 9M stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally C#, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the C# M9b5 chord?
- Measured from C#, the C# M9b5 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5d, 7M, 9M. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.
- How do I play the C# M9b5 chord?
- On guitar the most common C# M9b5 shape is x43543, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play C#3 · E#3 · G3 · B#4 · D#4 with the right hand, or move the root down into the left hand and keep the rest above it. Every shape on this page plays when you press it.