Chords

Db +add#9

Db · F · A · E

Db +add#9 (Db+add#9) is a augmented chord of 4 notes: Db · F · A · E.

Db +add#9

Db · F · A · E

Play it on your instrument
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Voicings on the piano
VoicingNotesPlay it on your instrument
Closed, root positionDb3 · F3 · A3 · E4
Open (drop 2)A2 · Db3 · F3 · E4

Tap a key or a fret to hear it.

Anatomy

Db +add#9 (Db+add#9) contains the notes Db · F · A · E, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.

Read on: how triads are built · extensions

Inversions

An inversion of Db +add#9 puts a chord tone other than Db in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.

Where it lives

The keys and the scales Db +add#9 belongs to.

In which keys

Db +add#9 is diatonic to 1 key; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.

Scales that contain it

Db +add#9 fits inside these scales, each built on Db.

Understanding the Db +add#9 chord

Names and symbols

Db+add#9 is the chord symbol for Db +add#9.

Common questions

What notes are in the Db +add#9 chord?
The Db +add#9 chord contains the notes Db · F · A · E: the root Db with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5A, 9A stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Db, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
What intervals make up the Db +add#9 chord?
Measured from Db, the Db +add#9 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5A, 9A. 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.
How do I play the Db +add#9 chord?
On guitar the most common Db +add#9 shape is x43220, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play Db3 · F3 · A3 · E4 with the right hand, or move the root down into the left hand and keep the rest above it. Every shape on this page plays when you press it.

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