Badd9

Badd9 is B, D#, F# and C#, a add nine. The shape this page opens on is written x21x22, lowest string first.

Note by note. B is the root, D# is the major third, F# is the fifth and C# is the ninth.

Also written B(add9), Badd2 or B add nine. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 5 common shapes for Badd9 on the guitar, and 20 derived voicings in 2 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Badd9 and you have B (with one note taken away), Bsus2 (with one note taken away), Bsus2sus4 (with one note moved), Bmaj7 (with one note moved), Bmaj9 (with one note added) or Bmadd9 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Badd9 belongs to C# minor (the ♭VII), Eb minor (the ♭VI), E major (the V), F# major (the IV), Ab minor (the ♭III) and B major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x21x22, 76x677, xx98x9, x-14-13-11-14-11, x-14-13-x-14-14.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Badd9 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 3 of the 5 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 14th.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Badd9 has x4444x, xx9879, 9998xx, x-x-11-11-12-11, xx1422, 2414xx, 7646xx, xx4647.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Badd9 has 2x142x, x4x442, 7x464x, x6x677, 9x987x, x-9-x-8-12-9, x-14-x-11-14-11, 11-x-11-11-12-x.

What kind of chord this is. Badd9 is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. major chords on every root, and what they are for.

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.