C7♯9 (the "Hendrix chord")

5-note dominant 7th sharp 9 on CC, D♯, E, G, A♯.

Press to hear the chord strummed low to high.

The famous "Hendrix chord" — a dominant seventh carrying both the major third and the sharp ninth (an enharmonic minor third), major and minor at once.

The notes

Pitches taken from the first fingering below — click any note to open its frequency page.

Interval formula

DegreeNoteWhat it is
1Croot
♯9D♯sharp ninth
3Emajor third
5Gperfect fifth
♭7A♯flat seventh (dominant)

The formula reads in semitones above the root (C): 1, ♯9, 3, 5, ♭7. A voicing may leave a tone out — often the fifth — but never adds one from outside this set.

Guitar fingerings · 4

2134
open position
3fr1312
from fret 3
8fr131214
from fret 8
9fr2134
from fret 9

Ukulele fingerings · 4

31
open position
3fr1214
from fret 3
6fr4213
from fret 6
6fr4211
from fret 6

Read a diagram top-down: the thick bar is the nut, dots are where to press (the number is which finger), means play the open string, means don't play it. A bar across strings is a barre.

Other C chords

7♯9 (the "Hendrix chord") chords on every root