About the A♭add9 chord
An add9 is a major chord with the ninth added and no seventh. It is bright and shimmering, and a favourite in pop and acoustic playing. The symbol for it is A♭add9. (also written G♯add9)
How to play A♭add9
- Lay your index finger flat across the top 5 strings at fret 1, pressing just behind the fret.
- Put your middle finger on the low E string at fret 4.
- Put your ring finger on the high E string at fret 4.
- Strum all six strings.
1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little
Chords in the key of A♭ major
These are the chords built on each note of the A♭ major scale, so they all sound good together with A♭add9. The Roman numeral under each one is its position in the key.
Other A♭ chords
A♭add9 chord questions
What notes are in a A♭add9 chord?
A♭add9 is made of A♭, C, E♭ and B♭. In intervals that is 1, 3, 5, 9 above the root, A♭.
What is the easiest way to play A♭add9?
The first shape above is the most common one: 4 1 1 1 1 4 from the low E string to the high E, where x means don't play that string and 0 means play it open. It uses a barre, so if that is hard at first, try one of the other shapes.
Is A♭add9 a barre chord?
The main shape uses a barre, where one finger holds down several strings at once. Press just behind the fret and roll the finger slightly onto its side.