added ninth chord · C root
Cadd9 chord
- C1
- E3
- G5
- D9
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The C add 9 chord is built from the notes C, E, G, D. It turns up 2 times in the 80 songs on this site, including Wonderwall.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the Cadd9 chord?
The Cadd9 chord (C add 9) is an added ninth chord built from four notes: C, E, G, D — the 1–3–5–9 of the C scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones and 14 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played in open position (x-3-2-0-3-3) with 4 fingers while 1 string rings open and the low E string stays silent. It is rated beginner — most players learn it in their first weeks. A major triad with the second scale degree stacked an octave up, which adds an open, ringing top note without touching the major third underneath. It is one of the most-used chords in this site's library: across the 80 song sheets charted here, Cadd9 appears 2 times in 1 song, most often in the key of Em, and the chord it most often moves to is Dsus4. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the Cadd9 chord on guitar?
Open position — the easiest version of Cadd9 on the guitar.
- Press the A string at fret 3 with your ring finger.
- Press the D string at fret 2 with your middle finger.
- Press the B string at fret 3 with your pinky finger.
- Press the high E string at fret 3 with your pinky finger.
- Start your strum on the A string and do not play the low E string at all.
The x mark is part of the shape, not an accident: the chord only sounds right when low E stays silent. Instead of aiming your pick around that string, let the string next to it rest on it and damp it. x-3-2-0-3-3
How do you make Cadd9 sound clean?
Keeping the index finger from C pressed on the B string kills the added ninth. Cadd9 is C with that finger lifted and the pinky added.
C → Cadd9 → G: the Oasis/big-chorus move. Keep fingers 2 and 3 planted through the whole loop.
In real songs
What songs use the Cadd9 chord?
- chord changes
- 2
- songs
- 1
- common keys
- Em
Across the 80 chord sheets on this site, Cadd9 appears 2 times in 1 song — most often in the key of Em.
Cadd9Dsus4Em7Em7
Chord flow
What chord comes after Cadd9?
The counts come from our own song library — 1560 chord changes in total — which makes them a snapshot of real songs instead of a rule of thumb.
After Cadd9, songs go to
- Dsus42×
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
The theory behind Cadd9
Cadd9 is spelled C – E – G – D — the 1 – 3 – 5 – 9 of the C scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones, 14 semitones. A major triad with the second scale degree stacked an octave up, which adds an open, ringing top note without touching the major third underneath.
The ninth is the second scale degree an octave up, so Cadd9 keeps its major quality and gains an open, ringing top note. It is the difference between a plain strummed chord and the shimmer you hear on acoustic records.
What key is the Cadd9 chord in?
Cadd9 is the C major triad with the ninth added on top, so it fills the same three slots as the plain triad: the I chord in C major, the IV in G major and the V in F major.
the home chord — songs resolve here
the subdominant — the chord that leaves home
the dominant — the chord that pulls back home
Cadd9 on other instruments
C – E – G – D — all white keys, so you can find the shape by counting up from C.
Take it to the practice room
