7#9 and 7#9b5 on E9

[Eric OHara]

Hi, going from a double neck to a single neck E9 I was always looking for a good chord grip for a 7#9 chord on E9. Inevitably I’d be playing on a rock/funk kinda of tune and didn’t have the C6 to fall back on and still wanted that chord option.
In trying to keep it in a basic copedant realm I landed on this grip which also lends itself to the addition of a b5 if wanted. It works well if both strings raise equally otherwise there could be pitch issues. For the b5 just add in the 4 string (vs the 6th string - I prefer voicing of the 3rd string addition myself). EO

E7#9

1
2
3
4 2C1/2
5 2C1/2
6
7 2
8
9 2
10

[Tucker Jackson]

Good info. Looks like you're willing to half-pedal things... if you have a whole-tone raise on the 1st string, another E7#9 in the root position could be half-knee on the 1st string to get the #9 tone. If you raise the 7th string, you could use that too, half-kneed.

And get the flatted-7th tone on string 9 (or 2L, if it's on a different leg than the 1st string raise).

To make it a b5, hit the knee lever that lowers the 5th string a half-tone.

[Lee Baucum]

I'm sitting at a desk at work right now; so, no access to a pedal steel guitar.

However, I think I recall that, from a pedals down position you can move back one fret and hit strings 9, 6 and 5 with the A pedal pressed.

That would be for the 7#9 Hendrix chord.

Hoping my feeble brain is remembering it correctly!

~Lee

[Lee Baucum]

As I think I recall, that 7#9 chord is used at the end of the interlude, played by horns, on Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You, by Frankie Valli.

Also, I think it sneaks in on Spinning Wheel, by Blood Sweat & Tears.

Not exactly funk tunes!

~Lee