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E♭ 6th add 9 chord on guitar (E♭6/9)
Also called or written E♭6/9, E♭6add9, E♭ 6th Add 9th or E♭ 6th 9
E♭ 6th add 9 contains E♭, G, B♭, C, and F. The 5th fret grip mutes the low E string and barres the D and G strings.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, 6, 9
- Root positionE♭–G–B♭–C–FE♭6/9×-6-5-5-6-6
- First inversionG–B♭–C–F–E♭E♭6/9/G3-1-1-3-1-1
- Second inversionB♭–C–F–E♭–GE♭6/9/B♭×-1-1-0-1-1
- Third inversionC–F–E♭–G–B♭E♭6/9/C×-3-3-3-4-3
- Fourth inversionF–E♭–G–B♭–CE♭6/9/F1-1-1-0-1-×
How do you play an E♭ 6th add 9 chord on guitar?
E♭ 6th add 9 is played at the 5th fret as × 6 5 5 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 5, middle finger on the A string at fret 6, ring finger on the B string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 6. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 5 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 1 (barre) | C (6) |
| 2 (B) | 6 | 3 | F (2) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 4 | B♭ (5) |
AdvancedThe index barre must fret the D and G strings cleanly while the middle finger reaches the A string at the 6th fret.
10th fret
E♭ 6th add 9 is played at the 10th fret as 11 10 10 10 11 11: barre your index finger across fret 10, middle finger on the low E string at fret 11, ring finger on the B string at fret 11 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 11.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 1 (barre) | C (6) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 3 | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
E♭6add9/G inversion · 3-1-1-3-1-1
E♭ 6th add 9 is played at the 1st fret as 3 1 1 3 1 1: barre your index finger across fret 1, ring finger on the low E string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 3.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 3 | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 4 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (6) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
E♭6add9/G inversion · 3-3-1-3-1-1
E♭ 6th add 9 is played at the 1st fret as 3 3 1 3 1 1: barre your index finger across fret 1, middle finger on the low E string at fret 3, ring finger on the A string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 3.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 2 | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 3 | C (6) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 4 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (6) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
E♭6add9/G inversion · 3-3-3-3-4-3
E♭ 6th add 9 is played at the 3rd fret as 3 3 3 3 4 3: barre your index finger across fret 3 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 4.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 1 (barre) | C (6) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 1 (barre) | F (2) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ 6th add 9 is built from the formula 1, 3, 5, 6, 9. The major 6th and major 2nd add color to the major triad. Compare it to E♭ 6th, which omits the 9th.
What goes wrong with E♭ 6th add 9?
- Let the low E string sound by not muting it properly.
- Allow the index barre to lift off the G string, causing a dead note.
When to use it
Use E♭ 6th add 9 as the tonic in E♭ major progressions like E♭–A♭–B♭–E♭ (I–IV–V–I). It suits jazz, blues, and ballads.
Changing to and from E♭ 6th add 9
- Slide the shape down two frets to the 3rd fret to play C♯ 6th add 9.
- Slide the shape down one fret to the 4th fret to play D 6th add 9.
Which voicing to use
The 5th fret position keeps E♭ in the bass. The E♭6add9/G inversions put G in the bass, creating a first-inversion sound.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ 6th add 9 written?
E♭ 6th add 9 is written E♭6/9 or E♭6add9. The ASCII root spelling is Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Why is the low E string muted in E♭ 6th add 9?
The open E string is not a chord tone, so it is muted to avoid an outside note.
How does E♭ 6th add 9 differ from E♭ 6th?
E♭ 6th add 9 adds the 9th, F, to the E♭ 6th chord. The 9th creates a more colorful, extended sound.