Chords
Db Add nine
Db · F · Ab · Eb
A major triad with an added ninth and no seventh — bright, open, and everywhere in pop.
Also written DbMadd9 · Db2 · Dbadd2
Db Add nine
Db · F · Ab · Eb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Db3 · F3 · Ab3 · Eb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Ab2 · Db3 · F3 · Eb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Db Add nine (Dbadd9) contains the notes Db · F · Ab · Eb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of Db Add nine 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 nine belongs to.
In which keys
Db Add nine is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Db Add nine fits inside these scales, each built on Db.
- Db Major PentatonicDb · Eb · F · Ab · Bb
- Db Major BluesDb · Eb · Fb · F · Ab · Bb
- Db MajorDb · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · C
- Db LydianDb · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb · C
- Db MixolydianDb · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb
- Db Lydian DominantDb · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb · Cb
- Db BebopDb · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb · C
- Db Bebop MinorDb · Eb · Fb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb · Cb
Understanding the Db Add nine chord
Names and symbols
Dbadd9 is the chord symbol for Db Add nine; it is also written DbMadd9, Db2, Dbadd2.
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.
Db Add nine and C# Add nine are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. C# Add nine
How it is built
On Db it is Db · F · Ab · Eb: 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 Dbadd9?
- Dbadd9 contains Db · F · Ab · Eb. 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 Db Add nine chord?
- The Db Add nine chord contains the notes Db · F · Ab · Eb: the root Db 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 Db, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Db Add nine chord?
- Measured from Db, the Db 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.