Dadd9

Dadd9 is D, F#, A and E, a add nine. The shape this page opens on is written x54252, lowest string first.

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

Also written D(add9), Dadd2 or D add nine. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for Dadd9 on the guitar, and 26 derived voicings in 3 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Dadd9 and you have D (with one note taken away), Dsus2 (with one note taken away), Dsus2sus4 (with one note moved), Dmaj7 (with one note moved), Dmaj9 (with one note added) or Dmadd9 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Dadd9 belongs to D major (the I), E minor (the ♭VII), F# minor (the ♭VI), G major (the V), A major (the IV) and B minor (the ♭III).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x54252, x54x55, x57770, x-x-0-9-7-10, 10-9-x-9-10-10, x-x-12-11-x-12.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Dadd9 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 2nd fret. 3 of the 6 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 2nd fret to the 12th.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Dadd9 has xx2232, x7777x, x-x-12-11-10-12, 12-12-12-11-x-x, x-x-14-14-15-14, 2522xx, x5425x, xx4755.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Dadd9 has x5x252, 2x223x, 5x475x, x7x775, 10-x-7-9-7-x, x-9-x-9-10-10, 12-x-12-11-10-x, x-12-x-11-15-12.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Dadd9 has 00077x, x00770, 0047xx, 0x0770.

What kind of chord this is. Dadd9 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.