Gadd9 G major add nine chord
- Notes
- G B D A
- Formula
- 1 3 5 9
- Semitones
- 0 4 7 14 above the root
- Other symbols
- G(add9), Gadd2
G to B is a major third (4 semitones), B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to A is a perfect fifth (7 semitones). A major triad with the ninth, A, added and no seventh. The ninth is the second of the scale an octave up, so with A played right next to the root the same chord is often written Gadd2. It is not Gsus2: the third B is still there.
Gadd9 on the piano
Root position from G4: G4, B4, D5, A5. Middle C is C4.
Gadd9 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 G as its lowest note.
3 2 0 2 0 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds G2 B2 D3 A3 B3 G4
3 2 x 2 3 x (low E to high e)
Sounds G2 B2 A3 D4
x 10 9 x 10 10 (low E to high e)
Sounds G3 B3 A4 D5
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 Gadd9
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 | G B D A | Gadd9 | |
| 1st inversion | B D A G | Gadd9/B | |
| 2nd inversion | D A G B | Gadd9/D | |
| 3rd inversion | A G B D | G/A (also read as Gadd9/A) |
Where Gadd9 fits
Gadd9 is I in G major, IV in D major, V in C major. The added A belongs to all three of those keys, so Gadd9 can stand in for G wherever it appears; it keeps the major sound but softens it. It is not a substitute for G9, which also has the seventh F.