A♭add9 Chord on Guitar
A♭add9 A♭ C E♭ B♭ 2 shapes Barre chord
Also written G♯add9: the same frets under another name.
Chord diagrams
How to play A♭add9 on guitar
The A♭add9 chord (A♭add9) is made of A♭, C, E♭, B♭ - 1 3 5 9. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the E-shape shape at fret 4 (4x6546). Below are 2 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
A-shape, fret 8 x(11)(10)8(11)x
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in A♭add9?
The A♭add9 chord has 4 different notes: A♭, C, E♭, B♭. The major triad plus the ninth - the second, an octave up. A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: every shape here leaves at least one string unplayed - watch the x marks.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| A♭ | Root | 0 |
| C | Major 3rd | 4 |
| E♭ | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| B♭ | Major 9th | 14 |
Chords that go with it
Chords in the key of A♭ major
The seven chords built on the A♭ major scale, with the easiest shape of each. I, IV and V are the three major chords that carry most songs in this key; vi is its relative minor.
A progression to strum
- I - V - vi - IVA♭ - E♭ - Fm - D♭
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play A♭add9 on guitar?
The E-shape shape 4x6546: low E string fret 4 (finger 1), D string fret 6 (finger 3), G string fret 5 (finger 2), B string fret 4 (finger 1), high E string fret 6 (finger 4); do not play A.
What notes are in the A♭add9 chord?
The A♭add9 chord (A♭add9) is made of A♭, C, E♭, B♭. Its formula is 1 3 5 9. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Can I play A♭add9 without a barre?
There is no common open shape for A♭add9 in standard tuning, so it is played as a movable shape: e-shape, fret 4 (4x6546) is the lowest on the neck. If a full barre is hard at first, play only the four highest strings of that shape - the root and the third are still there.
Is A♭add9 the same as G♯add9?
On the guitar, yes: the same frets. The name changes with the key - sharps in sharp keys, flats in flat keys.
Keep playing
Strum A♭add9, then build a song around it
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