Fadd9 F major add nine chord
- Notes
- F A C G
- Formula
- 1 3 5 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- F(add9), Fadd2
F to A is a major third (4 semitones), A to C is a minor third (3 semitones), C to G is a perfect fifth (7 semitones). A major triad with the ninth, G, added and no seventh. The ninth is the second of the scale an octave up, so with G played right next to the root the same chord is often written Fadd2. It is not Fsus2: the third A is still there.
Fadd9 on the piano
Root position from F4: F4, A4, C5, G5. Middle C is C4.
Fadd9 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 F as its lowest note.
1 0 x 0 1 x (low E to high e)
Sounds F2 A2 G3 C4
x 8 7 x 8 8 (low E to high e)
Sounds F3 A3 G4 C5
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 Fadd9
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 | F A C G | Fadd9 | |
| 1st inversion | A C G F | Fadd9/A | |
| 2nd inversion | C G F A | Fadd9/C | |
| 3rd inversion | G F A C | F/G (also read as Fadd9/G) |
Where Fadd9 fits
Fadd9 is I in F major, IV in C major, V in Bb major. The added G belongs to all three of those keys, so Fadd9 can stand in for F wherever it appears; it keeps the major sound but softens it. It is not a substitute for F9, which also has the seventh Eb.