What notes are in Cadd9?

Cadd9 contains C · E · G · D. 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 C Add nine chord?

The C Add nine chord contains the notes C · E · G · D: the root C 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 C, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.

What intervals make up the C Add nine chord?

Measured from C, the C 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.

C Add Nine Chord (Cadd9): Notes, Piano & Guitar

Play it on your instrument

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Voicings on the piano

Voicing	Notes	Play it on your instrument
Closed, root position	C3 · E3 · G3 · D4
Open (drop 2)	G2 · C3 · E3 · D4

Tap a key or a fret to hear it.

Anatomy

C Add nine (Cadd9) contains the notes C · E · G · D, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.

Read on: how triads are built · extensions

Inversions

An inversion of C Add nine puts a chord tone other than C in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.

Where it lives

The keys and the scales C Add nine belongs to.

In which keys

C Add nine is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.

C majorIadd9Tonic
A minorIIIadd9Tonic
G majorIVadd9Subdominant
E minorVIadd9Subdominant
F majorVadd9Dominant
D minorVIIadd9Subdominant

Scales that contain it

C Add nine fits inside these scales, each built on C.

C Major PentatonicC · D · E · G · A
C Major BluesC · D · Eb · E · G · A
C MajorC · D · E · F · G · A · B
C LydianC · D · E · F# · G · A · B
C MixolydianC · D · E · F · G · A · Bb
C Lydian DominantC · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb
C Harmonic MajorC · D · E · F · G · Ab · B
C Flat Six PentatonicC · D · E · G · Ab

Related chords

Chords that share most of their notes with C Add nine: simpler and richer stacks of the same notes, and the substitutes a chart would accept.

Simpler

CC · E · G
Csus2C · D · G
C5C · G

Richer

Cmaj9C · E · G · B · D
C9C · E · G · Bb · D
C6/9C · E · G · A · D
Cmaj13C · E · G · B · D · A
C13C · E · G · Bb · D · A
Cmaj7add13C · E · G · A · B · D

Add nine on every root

C#add9 Dbadd9 Dadd9 Ebadd9 Eadd9 Fadd9 F#add9 Gbadd9 Gadd9 G#add9 Abadd9 Aadd9 Bbadd9 Badd9

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Understanding the C Add nine chord

Names and symbols

Cadd9 is the chord symbol for C Add nine; it is also written CMadd9, C2, Cadd2.

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.

How it is built

On C it is C · E · G · D: 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 Sevenths

Common questions

What notes are in Cadd9?: Cadd9 contains C · E · G · D. 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 C Add nine chord?: The C Add nine chord contains the notes C · E · G · D: the root C 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 C, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
What intervals make up the C Add nine chord?: Measured from C, the C 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.