Cadd9 C major add nine chord
- Notes
- C E G D
- Formula
- 1 3 5 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- C(add9), Cadd2
C to E is a major third (4 semitones), E to G is a minor third (3 semitones), G to D is a perfect fifth (7 semitones). A major triad with the ninth, D, added and no seventh. The ninth is the second of the scale an octave up, so with D played right next to the root the same chord is often written Cadd2. It is not Csus2: the third E is still there.
Cadd9 on the piano
Root position from C4: C4, E4, G4, D5. Middle C is C4.
Cadd9 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 C as its lowest note.
x 3 2 0 3 0 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 E3 G3 D4 E4
x 3 2 x 3 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 E3 D4 G4
8 7 x 7 8 x (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 E3 D4 G4
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 Cadd9
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 | C E G D | Cadd9 | |
| 1st inversion | E G D C | Cadd9/E | |
| 2nd inversion | G D C E | Cadd9/G | |
| 3rd inversion | D C E G | C/D (also read as Cadd9/D) |
Where Cadd9 fits
Cadd9 is I in C major, IV in G major, V in F major. The added D belongs to all three of those keys, so Cadd9 can stand in for C wherever it appears; it keeps the major sound but softens it. It is not a substitute for C9, which also has the seventh Bb.