Gadd9 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 Gadd9 — open string voicings
Gadd9 is G, B, D and A — G 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.
Gadd9 notes and formula
| G | B | D | A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
Tonic — a triad with one colour on it.
Also written G(add9), Gadd2 or G add nine. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play Gadd9
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.
Gadd9 has 6 of them, on strings 6-4-3-2, strings 6-4-3-2-1, strings 5-4-3-2-1, strings 6-5-4-3-2, the top four strings and the middle four strings, from the 2nd fret up to the 5th — every inversion the chord has: G in the bass, D in the bass and A in the bass. The one to learn first is the D shape at the 2nd fret, which is the easiest grip here.
Start with 300203 — no barre and 3 open strings. 1 of the 6 shapes here sits in open position. 2 of the 6 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 2nd fret to the 15th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300203 | open position | G, root position | G | 3 open strings |
| 32x233 | 2nd fret | G, root position | G | barred |
| xx54x5 | 4th fret | G, root position | A | all fretted |
| x-10-9-7-10-7 | 7th fret | G, root position | B | all fretted |
| x-10-9-0-10-10 | 9th fret | G, root position | D | barred |
| 15-14-x-14-15-x | 14th fret | G, root position | D | all fretted |
The same notes rebuilt from scratch give 15 drop 2 and 10 drop 3 voicings, each on its own page.
How to use Gadd9
How you get to it. The turn that lands on Gadd9 is Am7 to D7 — the ii and the V of G — and D7 shares its third and seventh with Am7, so the hand barely moves between them.
In which keys. Every note of Gadd9 belongs to C major (the V), D major (the IV), E minor (the ♭III), G major (the I), A minor (the ♭VII) and B minor (the ♭VI).
What to play over Gadd9
Every note of Gadd9 is in G major pentatonic, G major, G lydian, G mixolydian and G lydian dominant.
Chords near Gadd9
Change one note of Gadd9 and you have G (drop the ninth), Gsus2 (drop the major third), Gsus2sus4 (the major third becomes a fourth), Gmaj7 (the ninth becomes a major seventh), Gmaj9 (add the major seventh) or Gmadd9 (the major third becomes a minor third).
Gadd9 is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. Major chords on every root.
On Gadd9’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.