Amadd9 guitar chord
An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful.
- Tap a note to hear it
- Arrows change position
- Fingers, notes or intervals
- Play the chord
About Amadd9 — open string voicings
Amadd9 is A, C, E and B — Am with the ninth added, and no seventh.
It sounds sharp-edged. The ninth grinding a whole step under the minor third is the edge an m9 softens.
Amadd9 notes and formula
| A | C | E | B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ♭3 | 5 | 9 |
Minor tonic — a triad with one colour on it.
Also written Am(add9), Amin(add9) or A-add9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play Amadd9
An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. It costs no finger, so it can sound a note the closed shape has none left for: a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath.
These belong to their key rather than to a shape: they cannot be moved up the neck. D, A, G and E have many; E♭ has a handful.
Amadd9 has 6 of them, on strings 5-4-3-2-1, the middle four strings, strings 6-5-4-3-2, strings 6-4-3-2-1, the top four strings and strings 6-4-3-2, from the 2nd fret up to the 5th — every inversion the chord has: A in the bass and E in the bass. The one to learn first is the A shape at the 5th fret, which is the easiest grip here.
Start with x02410 — no barre and 2 open strings. 1 of the 9 shapes here sits in open position. 2 of the 9 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 15th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x02410 | open position | A, root position | E | 2 open strings |
| 53x45x | 3rd fret | A, root position | E | all fretted |
| 577557 | 5th fret | A, root position | B | barred |
| xx7557 | 5th fret | A, root position | B | all fretted |
| xx7908 | 7th fret | A, root position | C | 1 open string |
| x-x-10-9-10-7 | 7th fret | C, 1st inversion | B | all fretted |
| x-12-10-9-12-x | 9th fret | A, root position | B | all fretted |
| x-12-10-x-12-12 | 10th fret | A, root position | E | barred |
| x-15-14-14-12-x | 12th fret | C, 1st inversion | B | all fretted |
The same notes rebuilt from scratch give 13 drop 2 and 9 drop 3 voicings, each on its own page.
How to use Amadd9
How you get to it. The turn that lands on Amadd9 is Bm7♭5 to E7♭9: the ii and the V of A minor, which is where a minor tonic is usually arrived at rather than simply begun on.
In which keys. Every note of Amadd9 belongs to C major (the vi, the submediant), E minor (the iv, the subdominant), G major (the ii, the supertonic) and A minor (the i, the tonic).
What to play over Amadd9
Every note of Amadd9 is in A dorian, A natural minor, A harmonic minor and A melodic minor.
Chords near Amadd9
Change one note of Amadd9 and you have Am (drop the ninth), Asus2 (drop the minor third), Asus2sus4 (the minor third becomes a fourth), Am6 (the ninth becomes a sixth), Am69 (add the sixth) or Am7 (the ninth becomes a flat seventh).
Amadd9 is a minor chord — root, minor third, fifth. Minor chords on every root.
On Amadd9’s sound and use this page follows Robert Rawlins & Nor Eddine Bahha, Jazzology (Hal Leonard, 2005). The shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.