Ebadd9 Eb major add nine chord
- Notes
- Eb G Bb F
- Formula
- 1 3 5 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 14 above the root
- Also written
- D#add9 (D# F## A# E#)
- Other symbols
- Eb(add9), Ebadd2
Eb to G is a major third (4 semitones), G to Bb is a minor third (3 semitones), Bb 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 Ebadd2. It is not Ebsus2: the third G is still there.
Ebadd9 on the piano
Root position from Eb4: Eb4, G4, Bb4, F5. Middle C is C4.
Ebadd9 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 Eb as its lowest note.
x 6 5 x 6 6 (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 G3 F4 Bb4
11 10 x 10 11 x (low E to high e)
Sounds Eb3 G3 F4 Bb4
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 Ebadd9
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 | Eb G Bb F | Ebadd9 | |
| 1st inversion | G Bb F Eb | Ebadd9/G | |
| 2nd inversion | Bb F Eb G | Ebadd9/Bb | |
| 3rd inversion | F Eb G Bb | Eb/F (also read as Ebadd9/F) |
Where Ebadd9 fits
Ebadd9 is I in Eb major, IV in Bb major, V in Ab major. The added F belongs to all three of those keys, so Ebadd9 can stand in for Eb wherever it appears; it keeps the major sound but softens it. It is not a substitute for Eb9, which also has the seventh Db.