Ways to play Badd9
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 Badd9
An add9 chord is a major triad with the 9th added (the 2nd, an octave up) and no 7th: Badd9 is B, D♯, F♯, C♯. Leaving out the 7th is what separates it from B9.
| Note | Formula | Interval from B |
|---|---|---|
| B | 1 | Root |
| D♯ | 3 | Major 3rd |
| F♯ | 5 | Perfect 5th |
| C♯ | 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 Badd9
Every major and minor key whose scale contains all of B, D♯, F♯ and C♯, and the chord's Roman numeral in each.
| Key | Badd9 is the |
|---|---|
| B major | Iadd9 |
| F♯ major | IVadd9 |
| E major | Vadd9 |
| E♭ minor | VIadd9 |
| G♯ minor | IIIadd9 |
| C♯ minor | VIIadd9 |
Progressions to try
Related chords
Other chords on B: