My Chord Finder
Aadd9
A2 (1) · E3 (5) · B3 (9) · C#4 (3) · E4 (5)
A add 9 guitar chord
Aadd9 is A, C#, E and B — degrees 1, 3, 5 and 9. A major is A, C# and E, so the extra note is B, a whole step above A; the third C# stays.
Aadd9
A2 (1) · C#3 (3) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · B3 (9) · E4 (5)
Aadd9
A2 (1) · B2 (9) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · C#4 (3) · E4 (5)
Aadd9 is A, C#, E, B (1, 3, 5, 9). A major is A, C#, E: the ninth B is added a whole step above the root, and the third C# stays.
× mute · ○ open · green root · terracotta other chord tones
Numbers show a suggested finger: 1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 pinky. A bar means one finger holds several strings.
Aadd9 is A, not A#
The tool opens on Aadd9. Press A to hear the triad without the ninth, or Asus2 to hear the chord with C# removed. Every diagram on this page is rooted on A, the open fifth string or the sixth-string fifth fret.
This Aadd9 starts on A, a whole step below B
A major is A, C# and E, fretted X 0 2 2 2 0: open fifth-string A2, fourth-string second fret E3, third-string second fret A3, second-string second fret C#4, open first-string E4. Raise the third string from the second fret to the fourth fret and A3 becomes B3. The new code is X 0 2 4 2 0, sounding A2, E3, B3, C#4 and E4.
That B is the ninth, a whole step above A. The second-string second fret is still C#4, so the third stays. Searchers type a add9, a add 9 guitar chord, a add 9 piano chord or a add9 piano; on this page every one of those spellings means A, C#, E and B.
Several results for this search are actually A#add9. A# is one fret higher than A. If the root of the diagram is the sixth-string sixth fret, or the fifth-string first fret, you have left this page's chord. The shapes below never use those frets as the root.
Open Aadd9 and three fifth-fret shapes
X 0 2 4 2 0 is the open-A version: mute the sixth string, leave the fifth string open A, fret the fourth-string second fret E, the third-string fourth fret B, the second-string second fret C#, and leave the first string open E. The ninth is the B on the third string.
5 4 2 2 0 0 puts the root on the sixth-string fifth fret A2, C# on the fifth-string fourth fret, E on the fourth-string second fret, A on the third-string second fret, then open B3 and open E4. The ninth here is the open second string. 5 2 2 2 2 0 keeps that low A and puts the ninth on the fifth-string second fret B2, with C# on the second-string second fret and the first string open E.
5 2 2 2 2 5 is the one row with no open strings: the first string is at the fifth fret A4, so the chord closes on a high root. Three of the four rows start with A on the sixth-string fifth fret. One of the four is the open-A grip. None of the four is a first-fret A# barre.
| Shape | Frets (low E to high E) | Sounding notes with degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Open strings with frets 2 to 4 | X 0 2 4 2 0 | A2 (1) · E3 (5) · B3 (9) · C#4 (3) · E4 (5) |
| Open strings with frets 2 to 5 | 5 4 2 2 0 0 | A2 (1) · C#3 (3) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · B3 (9) · E4 (5) |
| Open strings with frets 2 to 5 | 5 2 2 2 2 0 | A2 (1) · B2 (9) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · C#4 (3) · E4 (5) |
| No open strings, frets 2 to 5 | 5 2 2 2 2 5 | A2 (1) · B2 (9) · E3 (5) · A3 (1) · C#4 (3) · A4 (1) |
Aadd9 codes read left to right as sixth string through first string. Every sounding string is A, C#, E or B. The X and 0 key is on how to read guitar chords.
Aadd9, A9 and Asus2, and the A# mix-up
If an add9 chord guitar diagram starts on a barre at the first fret, check the root: A#add9 is a half step higher than the Aadd9 on this page. Aadd9 is A, C#, E and B. A9 would add G, the minor seventh. Aadd9 has no G, so it still sounds like a decorated A major.
Asus2 is A, B and E, no C#. The open Asus2 X 0 2 2 0 0 sounds A2, E3, A3, B3 and E4: the second string is open B, and C# is gone. Aadd9 X 0 2 4 2 0 keeps C# on the second-string second fret and puts B on the third-string fourth fret instead. Same B, different missing note. The a add 9 piano chord uses the same four letters as the guitar shapes: A, C#, E and B.
Aadd9 on the piano
Play A, C#, E and B. On a keyboard the ninth B is the white key a whole step above A, and C# is the black key that makes the chord major. An a add9 piano voicing can put A in the left hand and C#, E, B in the right, or stack A, C#, E, B in one octave.
Leave C# out and the three remaining keys are Asus2. Put G in as well and you have wandered into A9. The guitar tool's A / Aadd9 / Asus2 switch matches those three keyboard collections.
Sounding notes of the keyboard voicing: A4 (1) · C#5 (3) · E5 (5) · B5 (9).
From the left, the Aadd9 keys are A4 C#5 E5 B5.
Aadd9 as the I chord in A
An A to Aadd9 to A loop is the local move. A is X 0 2 2 2 0 and Aadd9 is X 0 2 4 2 0, so only the third-string finger moves, from the second fret to the fourth and back. The open fifth-string A never stops.
In an A song, Aadd9 can occupy I while the tune hangs on B. D, Aadd9, E takes the ninth B into the IV and V, where it is a chord tone of E and only a sixth colour over D. Because the third C# is still in the chord, the progression still sounds major; substituting Asus2 in the same slot would take that major colour out.
Questions people ask about Aadd9
Is this A#add9?
No. This page is A, C#, E and B. A#add9 is a half step higher. Open-A Aadd9 is X 0 2 4 2 0, rooted on the open fifth string. A first-fret barre is not this chord.
How do you play an a add 9 guitar chord?
Mute the sixth string. Leave the fifth string open, fret the fourth-string second fret, the third-string fourth fret and the second-string second fret, and leave the first string open. That is X 0 2 4 2 0, sounding A2, E3, B3, C#4 and E4. The B on the third string is the ninth.
Where are the a add 9 piano chord notes?
The keyboard block on this page highlights A, C#, E and B and offers a Hear button that uses recorded piano samples. a add9 piano and a add 9 piano chord are those four keys.
Is Aadd9 the same as Asus2?
No. Asus2 is A, B and E, no C#. Aadd9 keeps C# and adds B. X 0 2 2 0 0 is Asus2; X 0 2 4 2 0 is Aadd9. The second-string C# is the difference you can hear.
Why do some Aadd9 shapes start at the fifth fret?
The sixth-string fifth fret is A2, the same pitch class as the open fifth string. 5 4 2 2 0 0 uses that low A so the open second string can ring B as the ninth while C# sits on the fifth-string fourth fret.