Page 120Altered Dominant Ninths:
Dom7 Sharp 9, Dom7 Flat 9
The dom7 sharp 9 is popularly known as the "Jimi Hendrix chord" because of its use in songs such as 'Purple Haze',
'Stone Free' and 'Crosstown Traffic'. It should be noted that what Hendrix is sometimes playing (as in the case of
'Foxy Lady') is in fact only a minor seventh. The Stone Roses used this in 'Love Spreads'. It generates baggy-
trousered Manchester-type funk very easily, especially if you put it through a wah-wah. It is also favoured among
heavy rock bands for those Spinal Tap-ish thrash endings. The flat 9 chord is rare but turns up in blues and slower
tempo songs if the harmony is sufficiently sophisticated.
Minor Ninths
If you add a ninth to a minor seventh chord, you get a minor ninth – Cm7: C Eb G Bb becomes C Eb G Bb D. There
is also Cmadd9: C Eb G D, without the seventh. The min9 is similar to the min7 in sound. It is often heard in soul
and MOR ballad material as a substitute for the min7, and it has the effect of intensifying the minor chord. It can be
found in some rock and folk. There are wonderful examples of the minor9 chord in 'I Remember California', 'Badge',
'Alone Again Or', the intro to 'Achilles Last Stand', and in many songs by All About Eve.
minor add ninth chord shapes