Add9 guitar chords
An add9 chord is a major chord with the ninth added and no seventh. That missing seventh is the difference between Cadd9 and C9 or Cmaj9.
How add9 chords are built
The formula is 1–3–5–9: the root, the major third, the perfect fifth and the ninth, counted from the root’s major scale. In Cadd9 that gives C · E · G · D.
All 12 add9 chords on guitar
Fingerings read from the low E string to the high E string. x = not played, 0 = open. 5 of the twelve main shapes are easy, 4 medium and 3 hard.
| Chord | Notes | Fingering | Position | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadd9 | C E G D | x32030 | open position | Easy |
| Dbadd9 | D♭ F A♭ E♭ | x43141 | 1st fret | Hard |
| Dadd9 | D F♯ A E | x54252 | 2nd fret | Hard |
| Ebadd9 | E♭ G B♭ F | x65363 | 3rd fret | Hard |
| Eadd9 | E G♯ B F♯ | 022102 | open position | Easy |
| Fadd9 | F A C G | xx3213 | 1st fret | Medium |
| F#add9 | F♯ A♯ C♯ G♯ | 21x122 | 1st fret | Medium |
| Gadd9 | G B D A | 300203 | open position | Easy |
| Abadd9 | A♭ C E♭ B♭ | 43x34x | 3rd fret | Medium |
| Aadd9 | A C♯ E B | x02420 | open position | Easy |
| Bbadd9 | B♭ D F C | x10311 | open position | Easy |
| Badd9 | B D♯ F♯ C♯ | x21x22 | 1st fret | Medium |
Add9 chord diagrams
- Cadd9x320304 fingerings · easy
- Dadd9x542524 fingerings · hard
- Fadd9xx32134 fingerings · medium
- Gadd93002033 fingerings · easy
- Aadd9x024204 fingerings · easy
Where add9 chords appear in a key
In a major key, a add 9 chord fits on the I, V and IV degrees of the scale. For example, Cadd9 is the I chord in C major, V chord in F major and IV chord in G major.