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A♭ add 9 chord on guitar (A♭add9)
Also called or written A♭add9, A♭ or A♭ Add 9th
A♭ add 9 is built from A♭, C, E♭ and B♭. The default grip at the 4th fret is an advanced stretch with the 9th on the high E string.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, 9
- Root positionA♭–C–E♭–B♭A♭add9×-×-6-5-4-6
- First inversionC–E♭–B♭–A♭A♭add9/C×-3-×-3-4-4
- Second inversionE♭–B♭–A♭–CA♭add9/E♭×-6-6-5-×-6
- Third inversionB♭–A♭–C–E♭A♭add9/B♭×-1-1-1-1-×
How do you play an A♭ add 9 chord on guitar?
A♭ add 9 is played at the 4th fret as × × 6 5 4 6: ring finger on the D string at fret 6, middle finger on the G string at fret 5, index finger on the B string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 6. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 2 | C (3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 4 | B♭ (2) |
AdvancedThe pinky must stretch to the 6th fret on the high E while the index holds the 4th fret on the B string, a two-fret span.
A♭add9/C inversion · fret 3
A♭ add 9 is played at the 3rd fret as × 3 × 3 4 4: index finger on the A string at fret 3, middle finger on the G string at fret 3, ring finger on the B string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 4. The low E and D strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 1 | C (3) |
| 4 (D) | muted | — | — |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 2 | B♭ (2) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 3 | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
A♭add9/C inversion · fret 6
A♭ add 9 is played at the 6th fret as 8 6 6 8 × 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the low E string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 8. The B string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 3 | C (3) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 4 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (2) |
A♭add9/C inversion · fret 8
A♭ add 9 is played at the 8th fret as 8 × 8 8 9 8: barre your index finger across fret 8 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 9. The A string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (3) |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (2) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (3) |
A♭add9/E♭ inversion
A♭ add 9 is played at the 5th fret as × 6 6 5 × 6: middle finger on the A string at fret 6, ring finger on the D string at fret 6, index finger on the G string at fret 5 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 6. The low E and B strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 2 | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 1 | C (3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 4 | B♭ (2) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ add 9 adds a major 2nd (B♭) to an A♭ major triad. The B♭ gives the chord a warm, open character. Compare it to A♭ major, which has only three notes.
What goes wrong with A♭ add 9?
- Letting the low E or A string ring out, adding notes outside the chord.
- Buzzing the D string because the ring finger is too far from the fret.
- Flattening the pinky so it mutes the high E string.
When to use it
A♭ add 9 is the tonic in A♭ major, fitting progressions like A♭–D♭–E♭–A♭ (I–IV–V–I). It suits jazz and neo-soul. Use it to replace A♭ major for a more colorful tonic.
Changing to and from A♭ add 9
- Move to A♭ major by lifting the pinky and keeping the other three fingers in place.
- Slide the shape down two frets to the 2nd fret to play F♯ add 9.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret position keeps A♭ in the bass for a root-position sound. The A♭add9/C inversion at the 3rd fret puts the major 3rd in the bass, giving a darker, more compact voicing. The A♭add9/E♭ inversion at the 6th fret has the 5th in the bass and works well for descending bass lines.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ add 9 written?
A♭ add 9 is written as A♭add9 or A♭. On a keyboard, use Abadd9 or Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ add 9 and A♭ major 7th?
A♭ add 9 contains the 9th (B♭) but no 7th, while A♭ major 7th contains the major 7th (G) but no 9th. A♭ add 9 has a more open, suspended quality.
Can I play A♭ add 9 with a barre?
The default 4th fret shape uses no barre, but the A♭add9/C inversion at the 8th fret uses a barre at the 8th fret. That voicing is higher and brighter.