Cadd9 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 Cadd9 — open string voicings
Cadd9 is C, E, G and D — C with the ninth added, and no seventh.
It sounds bright and ringing. No seventh at all: that is what “add” means, and it is why this sounds open where a maj9 sounds lush.
Cadd9 notes and formula
| C | E | G | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
Tonic — a triad with one colour on it.
Also written C(add9), Cadd2 or C add nine. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play Cadd9
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.
Cadd9 has 6 of them, on the bottom four strings, the top four strings, strings 6-5-4-3-2, strings 6-5-4-3-2-1 and strings 6-4-3-2, from the 2nd fret up to the 5th — every inversion the chord has: E in the bass and D in the bass. The one to learn first is the E shape at the 2nd fret, which is the easiest grip here.
Start with x30030 — no barre and 3 open strings. 2 of the 8 shapes here sit in open position. 3 of the 8 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 2nd fret to the 15th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x32030 | open position | C, root position | E | 2 open strings |
| x30030 | open position | C, root position | E | 3 open strings |
| x32x33 | 2nd fret | C, root position | G | barred |
| 870080 | 7th fret | C, root position | G | 3 open strings |
| 87x788 | 7th fret | C, root position | C | barred |
| x-x-10-9-x-10 | 9th fret | C, root position | D | all fretted |
| x-15-14-12-15-12 | 12th fret | C, root position | E | all fretted |
| x-15-14-x-15-15 | 14th fret | C, root position | G | barred |
The same notes rebuilt from scratch give 15 drop 2 and 10 drop 3 voicings, each on its own page.
How to use Cadd9
How you get to it. The turn that lands on Cadd9 is Dm7 to G7 — the ii and the V of C — and G7 shares its third and seventh with Dm7, so the hand barely moves between them.
In which keys. Every note of Cadd9 belongs to C major (the I), D minor (the ♭VII), E minor (the ♭VI), F major (the V), G major (the IV) and A minor (the ♭III).
What to play over Cadd9
Every note of Cadd9 is in C major pentatonic, C major, C lydian, C mixolydian and C lydian dominant.
Chords near Cadd9
Change one note of Cadd9 and you have C (drop the ninth), Csus2 (drop the major third), Csus2sus4 (the major third becomes a fourth), Cmaj7 (the ninth becomes a major seventh), Cmaj9 (add the major seventh) or Cmadd9 (the major third becomes a minor third).
Cadd9 is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. Major chords on every root.
On Cadd9’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.