Chord Shapes

Dominant 7th Sharp 5 Flat 9th

Intervals: 1-3-#5-b7-b9. This combines the upward pull of the #5 with the dark crunch of the b9. It can be viewed as a 7b9 chord with the 5th raised to create stronger voice-leading into either major or minor tonics. In minor iiø–V–i cadences, the b9 is almost idiomatic, and adding #5 further heightens the colour. Treat it as an altered dominant whose b9 usually resolves to the tonic root and whose #5 resolves up to the tonic 3rd. It is a natural candidate whenever the melody already hits b9, #5 or related alterations on a V chord.