Dadd9 D major add nine chord
- Notes
- D F# A E
- Formula
- 1 3 5 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- D(add9), Dadd2
D to F# is a major third (4 semitones), F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones), A to E is a perfect fifth (7 semitones). A major triad with the ninth, E, added and no seventh. The ninth is the second of the scale an octave up, so with E played right next to the root the same chord is often written Dadd2. It is not Dsus2: the third F# is still there.
Dadd9 on the piano
Root position from D4: D4, F#4, A4, E5. Middle C is C4.
Dadd9 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 D as its lowest note.
x 5 4 x 5 5 (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 F#3 E4 A4
10 9 x 9 10 x (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 F#3 E4 A4
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 Dadd9
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 | D F# A E | Dadd9 | |
| 1st inversion | F# A E D | Dadd9/F# | |
| 2nd inversion | A E D F# | Dadd9/A | |
| 3rd inversion | E D F# A | D/E (also read as Dadd9/E) |
Where Dadd9 fits
Dadd9 is I in D major, IV in A major, V in G major. The added E belongs to all three of those keys, so Dadd9 can stand in for D wherever it appears; it keeps the major sound but softens it. It is not a substitute for D9, which also has the seventh C.