D7b9

D7b9 is D, F#, A, C and Eb, a seven flat nine. The shape this page opens on is written xx0542, lowest string first.

Also written D7(b9), D7-9 or D7♭9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for D7b9 on the guitar, and 36 derived voicings in 4 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: xx0542, x54545, x60575, 10-9-10-8-x-x, x-x-10-11-10-11, 10-12-10-11-10-11, x-x-12-11-13-11.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. D7b9 has x5454x, 10-9-10-8-x-x, x-x-12-11-13-11.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. D7b9 has x5454x, 10-9-10-8-x-x, x-x-12-11-13-11, 2515xx, xx1532, xx4748, 8647xx, x-6-10-7-7-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. D7b9 has 2x153x, x5x542, 8x474x, x6x778, 10-x-10-8-7-x, 11-x-12-11-13-x, x-15-x-11-15-11, x-9-x-8-13-10.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. D7b9 has xx1212, x3424x, xx4545, x6757x, xx7878, x-9-10-8-10-x, x-x-10-11-10-11, x-12-13-11-13-x.

Tensions. A shell of D7b9, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (G#), the b13 (Bb) and the 13 (B).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.