E7b9

— About this chord

E7b9 (1–3–5–♭7–♭9) is a tense, altered dominant chord with a dark, jagged edge from the flatted ninth clashing against the root. It's a cornerstone of jazz turnarounds and blues cadences, delivering strong pull toward the tonic, and its diminished-adjacent color also surfaces in classical and film-noir harmony. On guitar it's often voiced as a compact rootless-feeling shell shape, movable anywhere on the neck, or as an open-position grip. Functionally it resolves powerfully to A or Am, common in ii-V-i turnarounds. Also searched as Edom7b9, E7-9, E7(b9).