Ways to play A♭add9
Lowest on the neck first. Tap a shape to put it on the fretboard above and hear it. The numbers are fingers (1 is your index), × means leave that string out, and ○ means let it ring open.
What's in A♭add9
An add9 chord is a major triad with the 9th added (the 2nd, an octave up) and no 7th: A♭add9 is A♭, C, E♭, B♭. Leaving out the 7th is what separates it from A♭9.
| Note | Formula | Interval from A♭ |
|---|---|---|
| A♭ | 1 | Root |
| C | 3 | Major 3rd |
| E♭ | 5 | Perfect 5th |
| B♭ | 9 | Major 9th |
Brighter than a plain major chord, with a bit of shimmer from the 9th. Acoustic players lean on it because add9 shapes often keep fingers anchored between changes: Cadd9 played x32033 shares its top two notes, D and G, with the G shape 320033.
Keys that use A♭add9
Every major and minor key whose scale contains all of A♭, C, E♭ and B♭, and the chord's Roman numeral in each.
| Key | A♭add9 is the |
|---|---|
| A♭ major | Iadd9 |
| E♭ major | IVadd9 |
| D♭ major | Vadd9 |
| C minor | VIadd9 |
| F minor | IIIadd9 |
| B♭ minor | VIIadd9 |
Progressions to try
Related chords
Other chords on A♭: