Chords
Ab Add nine
Ab · C · Eb · Bb
A major triad with an added ninth and no seventh — bright, open, and everywhere in pop.
Also written AbMadd9 · Ab2 · Abadd2
Ab Add nine
Ab · C · Eb · Bb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · C4 · Eb4 · Bb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Eb3 · Ab3 · C4 · Bb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab Add nine (Abadd9) contains the notes Ab · C · Eb · Bb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of Ab Add nine puts a chord tone other than Ab in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Ab Add nine belongs to.
In which keys
Ab Add nine is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Ab Add nine fits inside these scales, each built on Ab.
- Ab Major PentatonicAb · Bb · C · Eb · F
- Ab Major BluesAb · Bb · Cb · C · Eb · F
- Ab MajorAb · Bb · C · Db · Eb · F · G
- Ab LydianAb · Bb · C · D · Eb · F · G
- Ab MixolydianAb · Bb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Lydian DominantAb · Bb · C · D · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Harmonic MajorAb · Bb · C · Db · Eb · Fb · G
- Ab Flat Six PentatonicAb · Bb · C · Eb · Fb
Understanding the Ab Add nine chord
Names and symbols
Abadd9 is the chord symbol for Ab Add nine; it is also written AbMadd9, Ab2, Abadd2.
add9, 9 and maj9 are three different chords. add9 adds a ninth to a plain triad with no seventh; 9 is a dominant seventh with a ninth; maj9 is a major seventh with a ninth.
Ab Add nine and G# Add nine are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. G# Add nine
How it is built
On Ab it is Ab · C · Eb · Bb: 1P · 3M · 5P · 9M. A plain major triad with a ninth added above.
How it is used
It is the default "nice" chord of acoustic pop, because standard guitar tuning produces it almost by accident from open shapes. It adds shimmer to a triad without the jazz implication a maj7 carries.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Abadd9?
- Abadd9 contains Ab · C · Eb · Bb. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What is the difference between add9 and sus2?
- add9 keeps the third and adds the ninth above it. sus2 replaces the third. add9 is still major; sus2 has no quality.
- What is the difference between add9 and maj9?
- maj9 includes the major seventh. add9 leaves it out, which keeps the chord simpler and brighter.
- What notes are in the Ab Add nine chord?
- The Ab Add nine chord contains the notes Ab · C · Eb · Bb: the root Ab with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 9M stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Ab, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Ab Add nine chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab Add nine chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P, 9M. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.