Dbadd9 Db major add nine chord
- Notes
- Db F Ab Eb
- Formula
- 1 3 5 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 14 above the root
- Also written
- C#add9 (C# E# G# D#)
- Other symbols
- Db(add9), Dbadd2
Db to F is a major third (4 semitones), F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones), Ab to Eb is a perfect fifth (7 semitones). A major triad with the ninth, Eb, added and no seventh. The ninth is the second of the scale an octave up, so with Eb played right next to the root the same chord is often written Dbadd2. It is not Dbsus2: the third F is still there.
Dbadd9 on the piano
Root position from Db4: Db4, F4, Ab4, Eb5. Middle C is C4.
Dbadd9 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 Db as its lowest note.
x 4 3 x 4 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds Db3 F3 Eb4 Ab4
9 8 x 8 9 x (low E to high e)
Sounds Db3 F3 Eb4 Ab4
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 Dbadd9
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 | Db F Ab Eb | Dbadd9 | |
| 1st inversion | F Ab Eb Db | Dbadd9/F | |
| 2nd inversion | Ab Eb Db F | Dbadd9/Ab | |
| 3rd inversion | Eb Db F Ab | Db/Eb (also read as Dbadd9/Eb) |
Where Dbadd9 fits
Dbadd9 is I in Db major, IV in Ab major, V in Gb major. The added Eb belongs to all three of those keys, so Dbadd9 can stand in for Db wherever it appears; it keeps the major sound but softens it. It is not a substitute for Db9, which also has the seventh Cb.