Shape characteristics
Barre chord
Your first finger flattens across multiple strings at the same fret. Movable up and down the neck to any key without changing the shape.
Mid-neck · fret 4-6
Balanced tone, with neither the ringing openness of first position nor the bright snap of the upper register. Common choice for rhythm work when you want a fuller, more compact sound.
Five-string voicing
One string muted. Keeps a full low end without overlapping awkwardly with a bassist or second guitar.
Bass: D♭ · Top: B♭
An extended chord tone is in the bass, giving the voicing a distinctive colour beyond the standard inversions.
Compared to Shape 9aa9b9 , this voicing uses a closed voicing and sits higher on the neck (starting at fret 9) and adds 1 more ringing string for a fuller sound.
How to play this shape
- 1 Place the 1st finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string
- 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 5th fret of the 2nd string, 3rd string, and 4th string in barre position
- 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 6th fret of the 1st string
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "x45556" mean?
The sequence x45556 is a highly compact guitar chord notation. It represents the fret played on each of the 6 strings, reading left-to-right from the thickest (lowest pitch) string to the thinnest (highest pitch) string: E, A, D, G, B, e.
- x means the string is muted or skipped entirely.
- 0 means the string is played "open" (without pressing over a fret).
- 1-9 represent standard fret numbers 1 to 9.
- a, b, c... represent frets 10, 11, 12, and higher (where a=10, b=11, c=12).
Can I play this C7♭9/D♭ shape anywhere else?
Yes! This specific layout is just one way to voice a C7♭9/D♭ chord. You can find all other variations in our chord shape library for C7♭9/D♭. Most guitarists choose different shapes based on whether they want a "brighter" or "deeper" sound, or which chord they are transitioning from.
Why do some strings have an 'x'?
Strings marked with an 'x' should not ring out. These notes are excluded because they don't belong to the C7♭9/D♭ chord or would clash with this specific voicing. You can mute these strings by lightly touching them with a finger that is already pressing a neighboring fret.
Other shapes
Showing 8 of 8 playable shapes