My Chord Finder
Dadd9
D3 (1) · F#3 (3) · A3 (5) · D4 (1) · E4 (9)
Dadd9
Dadd9 is D, F#, A and E — degrees 1, 3, 5 and 9. D major is D, F# and A, so the extra note is E, a whole step above D; the third F# stays.
Dadd9/E
E2 (9) · A2 (5) · D3 (1) · A3 (5) · D4 (1) · F#4 (3)
Dadd9
D3 (1) · E3 (9) · A3 (5) · D4 (1) · F#4 (3)
Dadd9 is D, F#, A, E (1, 3, 5, 9). D major is D, F#, A: the ninth E is added a whole step above the root, and the third F# 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.
Keep F# in the chord while you add E
The tool opens on Dadd9. Press D and the ninth leaves. Press Dsus2 and F# leaves. That last switch is the one this page exists to make audible, because many diagrams labelled Dadd9 are actually Dsus2.
Dadd9 is D major plus E, not D major minus F#
D major is D, F# and A. The open D shape X X 0 2 3 2 sounds D3, A3, D4 and F#4: open fourth string D, third-string second fret A, second-string third fret D, first-string second fret F#. Searchers type dadd9, d add 9, d add 9 guitar chord, dadd9 guitar chord or dadd9 chord guitar for the version of that chord that also has E.
X 5 4 2 3 0 is the clearest guitar picture of those four letters: fifth-string fifth fret D3, fourth-string fourth fret F#3, third-string second fret A3, second-string third fret D4, first string open E4. The sixth string is muted. The ninth is the open first string. The third is the F# on the fourth string, a fret that the open D shape never uses.
If you only lift the first-string finger off open D, you get X X 0 2 3 0, sounding D3, A3, D4 and E4. That set is D, A and E. There is no F#. The name for that chord is Dsus2, and the tool's Dsus2 button loads it on purpose so you can hear the third go missing.
Four Dadd9 rows, four different basses
X 5 4 2 3 0 is the fifth-string-root shape described above, with F# on the fourth-string fourth fret and E on the open first string. 0 0 0 2 3 2 is the open-D frame with both low strings ringing: open sixth-string E2 (the ninth in the bass), open fifth-string A2, open fourth-string D3, then the usual A, D and F# on top. The first string in that row is at the second fret, so F#4 is the highest note.
X 5 2 2 3 2 keeps the fifth-string fifth fret D and puts the ninth on the fourth-string second fret E3, with F# back on the first-string second fret. X X 0 2 5 2 is the four-string version: open D3, third-string second fret A3, second-string fifth fret E4, first-string second fret F#4.
One of the four rows uses all six strings. Two mute only the sixth string. One mutes the sixth and the fifth. All four contain F#. That is the test for a d add 9 guitar chord on this page: if F# is gone, the row does not belong in the table.
| Shape | Frets (low E to high E) | Sounding notes with degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Open strings with frets 2 to 5 | X 5 4 2 3 0 | D3 (1) · F#3 (3) · A3 (5) · D4 (1) · E4 (9) |
| Open position | 0 0 0 2 3 2 | E2 (9) · A2 (5) · D3 (1) · A3 (5) · D4 (1) · F#4 (3) |
| No open strings, frets 2 to 5 | X 5 2 2 3 2 | D3 (1) · E3 (9) · A3 (5) · D4 (1) · F#4 (3) |
| Open strings with frets 2 to 5 | X X 0 2 5 2 | D3 (1) · A3 (5) · E4 (9) · F#4 (3) |
Dadd9 frets are printed thick-to-thin, low E through high E. Every sounding string is D, F#, A or E. Mute and open marks are covered on how to read guitar chords.
Dadd9, D9 and Dsus2
Charts labelled add9 chord guitar sometimes print a D shape with the first string open and the third missing; that voicing is Dsus2. The Dadd9 rows on this page keep F#. D9 would also add C, the minor seventh. Dadd9 has no C, so it still functions as a decorated D major, not as a dominant heading to G.
On piano the same four letters are easier to see: D, F#, A and E. The ninth E is a whole step above D, and F# is still between them. That keyboard layout is why this page has a piano block even though the URL does not say guitar: the search dadd9 is instrument-agnostic, and the guitar trap (open first string, missing F#) does not exist on the keys.
Dadd9 on the piano
Play D, F#, A and E. The left hand can take D and A, the right hand F# and E, or you can stack all four in one hand as D, F#, A, E. E is a whole step above D; F# is the note that makes the chord major.
If the right hand plays only D, A and E, you are holding Dsus2 on the keyboard. Put F# back in and the chord is Dadd9 again. The guitar tool's D / Dadd9 / Dsus2 switch is the same three collections.
Sounding notes of the keyboard voicing: D4 (1) · F#4 (3) · A4 (5) · E5 (9).
From the left, the Dadd9 keys are D4 F#4 A4 E5.
Where Dadd9 sits in D major
A D to Dadd9 to D loop is the local move. Open D is X X 0 2 3 2. The fifth-string Dadd9 X 5 4 2 3 0 is a different grip, so the change is a whole-hand shift rather than one lifted finger. The 0 0 0 2 3 2 row is the open-string cousin of open D and costs no extra finger: add the open sixth string and you have already added the ninth in the bass, with F# still on the first-string second fret.
In a D song, Dadd9 can occupy I while the tune hangs on E. G, Dadd9, A keeps that E ringing into the IV and V. Do not use it as a substitute for D7; D7 needs C, and C is the note Dadd9 refuses to add.
Questions people ask about Dadd9
Is Dadd9 the same as Dsus2?
No. Dsus2 is D, E and A, no F#. The open shape X X 0 2 3 0 is Dsus2. Dadd9 is D, F#, A and E. X 5 4 2 3 0 keeps F# on the fourth-string fourth fret and E on the open first string.
How do you play a d add 9 guitar chord?
Mute the sixth string. Fret the fifth-string fifth fret, the fourth-string fourth fret, the third-string second fret and the second-string third fret, and leave the first string open. That is X 5 4 2 3 0, sounding D3, F#3, A3, D4 and E4.
Is this page D#add9?
No. D#add9 is a half step higher: D#, F##, A# and E#. This page is D, F#, A and E in standard tuning. If a result you opened was labelled D#, it is a different root.
Where are the dadd9 piano notes?
Look at the keyboard block above: D, F#, A and E are highlighted, and the Hear button plays recorded piano samples of those four pitches. The guitar shapes spell the same letters.
Why does one shape ring the low E string?
0 0 0 2 3 2 is open D with the sixth string left open, so the lowest note is E2, the ninth. The first-string second fret is still F#4, which is why that row is Dadd9 and not Dsus2.