My Chord Finder
Cadd9
C3 (1) · E3 (3) · G3 (5) · D4 (9) · E4 (3)
C add9 guitar chord
Cadd9 is C, E, G and D — degrees 1, 3, 5 and 9. C major is C, E and G, so the extra note is D, a whole step above C; the third E stays.
Cadd9
C3 (1) · E3 (3) · G3 (5) · D4 (9) · G4 (5)
Cadd9
C3 (1) · G3 (5) · C4 (1) · D4 (9) · E4 (3)
Cadd9 is C, E, G, D (1, 3, 5, 9). C major is C, E, G: the ninth D is added a whole step above the root, and the third E 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.
Hear Cadd9 next to C and Csus2
The tool opens on Cadd9. Press C to take the ninth off the second string in the first diagram, or Csus2 to drop the third E there. Each diagram keeps its own fret numbers and its own written notes underneath.
Cadd9 keeps the E and stacks a D
C major is C, E and G. Cadd9 keeps those three notes and adds D, so the letters are C, E, G and D. Charts write c add9, c add9 chord, c add 9 guitar chord or c add9 guitar; they all name this four-note chord. The 9 in the name is the same pitch class as a 2, written an octave above the root.
The open C shape is X 3 2 0 1 0: C on the fifth-string third fret, E on the fourth-string second fret, open G on the third string, C on the second-string first fret, and open E on the first string. Move only the second string from the first fret to the third fret and that C becomes D. The new shape is X 3 2 0 3 0, sounding C3, E3, G3, D4 and E4.
That D is the note people come here to find. It sits a whole step above C. Because the E is still in the chord, Cadd9 still sounds major. Take the E out and you are left with Csus2, which is a different page and a different job.
Four Cadd9 grips, one muted sixth string
X 3 2 0 3 0 is the shape most acoustic players learn first: index on the fifth-string third fret for C, middle on the fourth-string second fret for E, ring on the second-string third fret for D, with the third string open G and the first string open E. The sixth string stays quiet. X 3 2 0 3 3 keeps the same left-hand frame and puts the pinky on the first-string third fret, so the top note becomes G4 instead of E4.
X 3 5 5 3 0 climbs the middle strings: fifth-string third fret C, fourth-string fifth fret G, third-string fifth fret C, second-string third fret D, first string open E. The ninth is still the D on the second string. X 3 0 0 5 3 is the outlier of the four: the fourth string is open D3, so the ninth sits in the middle of the chord, and the second-string fifth fret is E4 rather than D.
All four rows mute the sixth string. Three of the four keep D on the second-string third fret. If a diagram rings the open sixth string, the lowest note is E2 and the chord is Cadd9/E rather than root-position Cadd9.
| Shape | Frets (low E to high E) | Sounding notes with degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Open position | X 3 2 0 3 0 | C3 (1) · E3 (3) · G3 (5) · D4 (9) · E4 (3) |
| Open position | X 3 2 0 3 3 | C3 (1) · E3 (3) · G3 (5) · D4 (9) · G4 (5) |
| Open strings with frets 3 to 5 | X 3 5 5 3 0 | C3 (1) · G3 (5) · C4 (1) · D4 (9) · E4 (3) |
| Open strings with frets 3 to 5 | X 3 0 0 5 3 | C3 (1) · D3 (9) · G3 (5) · E4 (3) · G4 (5) |
On the Cadd9 table, start at the thick low E and walk to the thin high E. Every sounding string is C, E, G or D. How to read X and 0 is on how to read guitar chords.
Cadd9, C9 and Csus2 are three different chords
An add9 chord guitar shape is a major triad plus the ninth. For C that ninth is D, so the letters are C, E, G and D, and there is no seventh. C9 is C, E, G, Bb and D: the extra letter is Bb, the minor seventh, on the third-string third fret in the common grip X 3 2 3 3 3. If a chart prints C9 and you play Cadd9, the Bb is missing and the bar will sound unfinished in blues or dominant progressions.
Csus2 is C, D and G — degrees 1, 2 and 5 — with no E. The open Csus2 X 3 0 0 3 3 sounds C3, D3, G3, D4 and G4. Switch the tool to Csus2 and the third disappears; switch it back to Cadd9 and E returns. Same D, different job: in Cadd9 the D is an added colour over a major triad, in Csus2 the D stands in for the third.
Where Cadd9 sits in a song
The useful neighbour is Gadd9. Cadd9 X 3 2 0 3 3 and Gadd9 3 2 0 2 3 3 share the second-string third fret D4 and the first-string third fret G4, so those two fingers can stay planted while the bass side of the hand moves. Folk and acoustic loops lean on that shared top: Cadd9, Gadd9, Am, F.
Inside C major, Cadd9 can stand in for C on the I chord when the melody already has a D, or when you want the triad to ring longer without changing bass. Cadd9 to Am to F keeps the D in the top of the texture. Do not swap it for C9 in a C7–F move; that progression wants the Bb.
Questions people ask about Cadd9
What is the difference between Cadd9 and C9?
Cadd9 is C, E, G and D. C9 is C, E, G, Bb and D. The only added letter in C9 is Bb, the minor seventh. Cadd9 has no seventh at all, which is why it still sounds like a decorated C major rather than a dominant chord.
How do you play a c add 9 guitar chord?
Mute the sixth string. Fret the fifth-string third fret, the fourth-string second fret and the second-string third fret, and leave the third string and the first string open. That is X 3 2 0 3 0, sounding C3, E3, G3, D4 and E4. The D on the second string is the ninth.
Is Cadd9 the same as Csus2?
No. Csus2 is C, D and G, three notes, no E. Cadd9 is four notes because the E stays. Play X 3 0 0 3 3 and then X 3 2 0 3 0 and you will hear the third come back.
Is Cadd9 a C chord?
It is built on C and it still contains the C major triad, so it can replace C in most major-key parts. It is not the same chord: the extra D is why the name says add9.
What does add 9 chords mean?
Add 9 chords are major triads with the ninth stacked on top and no seventh. This page is the C version. The rest of the family is linked at the bottom: Gadd9, Dadd9 and Aadd9.