Gb9 Chord On The Guitar (G Flat 9) – Diagrams, Finger Positions and Theory

The Gb9 (G flat 9) chord contains the notes Gb, Bb, Db, Fb and Ab. It is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the Gb Major scale. The 9th note of the scale (Ab) is the same as the 2nd note, but we refer to it as a 9, as this implies that the chord is a dominant 7 chord (1, 3, 5, 7) with a 9 included.

The 9th chord is a very popular guitar chord in Jazz, Funk and Blues. It is in many ways, the go-to ‘funk’ chord. The 9th chord can often be substituted for a dominant 7 chord. Let’s take an example chord progression:

Try playing this chord progression. After a while, try substituting the Gb7 chord for a Gb9 chord. You should hear that the chord progression sounds very similar, but the inclusion of the Gb9 chord gives the chord progression a jazzy sound.

The most common way to play Gb9 is with the root note on the 9th fret of the 5th string (second shape in the pic below).

10 Ways To Play The Gb9 Chord

If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for Gb9, here they are.

Gb9 Chord 10 Shapes

Some Quick Gb9 Chord Theory

  • The Gb9 chord contains the notes Gb, Bb, Db, Fb and Ab.
  • The Gb9 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5, b7 and 9 of the Gb Major scale.
  • The 9th note of the Gb Major scale (Ab) is the same as the 2nd note of the scale.
  • The Gb9 can be used as a substitute for the Gb7 chord.
  • The Gb9 is essentially a Gb dominant 7 chord with an added 9.
  • The Gb mixolydian mode can be used when soloing over the Gb9 chord.

Further Reading

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