Eadd9 E major add nine chord
- Notes
- E G# B F#
- Formula
- 1 3 5 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- E(add9), Eadd2
E to G# is a major third (4 semitones), G# to B is a minor third (3 semitones), B to F# is a perfect fifth (7 semitones). A major triad with the ninth, F#, added and no seventh. The ninth is the second of the scale an octave up, so with F# played right next to the root the same chord is often written Eadd2. It is not Esus2: the third G# is still there.
Eadd9 on the piano
Root position from E4: E4, G#4, B4, F#5. Middle C is C4.
Eadd9 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 E as its lowest note.
x 7 6 x 7 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds E3 G#3 F#4 B4
12 11 x 11 12 x (low E to high e)
Sounds E3 G#3 F#4 B4
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 Eadd9
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 | E G# B F# | Eadd9 | |
| 1st inversion | G# B F# E | Eadd9/G# | |
| 2nd inversion | B F# E G# | Eadd9/B | |
| 3rd inversion | F# E G# B | E/F# (also read as Eadd9/F#) |
Where Eadd9 fits
Eadd9 is I in E major, IV in B major, V in A major. The added F# belongs to all three of those keys, so Eadd9 can stand in for E wherever it appears; it keeps the major sound but softens it. It is not a substitute for E9, which also has the seventh D.