Bbadd9 Bb major add nine chord
- Notes
- Bb D F C
- Formula
- 1 3 5 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 14 above the root
- Also written
- A#add9 (A# C## E# B#)
- Other symbols
- Bb(add9), Bbadd2
Bb to D is a major third (4 semitones), D to F is a minor third (3 semitones), F to C is a perfect fifth (7 semitones). A major triad with the ninth, C, added and no seventh. The ninth is the second of the scale an octave up, so with C played right next to the root the same chord is often written Bbadd2. It is not Bbsus2: the third D is still there.
Bbadd9 on the piano
Root position from Bb4: Bb4, D5, F5, C6. Middle C is C4.
Bbadd9 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has Bb as its lowest note.
x 1 0 x 1 1 (low E to high e)
Sounds Bb2 D3 C4 F4
6 5 x 5 6 x (low E to high e)
Sounds Bb2 D3 C4 F4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play major add nine chords on other roots.
Inversions of Bbadd9
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | Bb D F C | Bbadd9 | |
| 1st inversion | D F C Bb | Bbadd9/D | |
| 2nd inversion | F C Bb D | Bbadd9/F | |
| 3rd inversion | C Bb D F | Bb/C (also read as Bbadd9/C) |
Where Bbadd9 fits
Bbadd9 is I in Bb major, IV in F major, V in Eb major. The added C belongs to all three of those keys, so Bbadd9 can stand in for Bb wherever it appears; it keeps the major sound but softens it. It is not a substitute for Bb9, which also has the seventh Ab.