B add9 (Badd9) chord on guitar

Looking for the Badd9 chord on guitar? It is an add9 chord (a major triad plus a major ninth, no seventh), made of four notes: B – D♯ – F♯ – C♯.

Dots show:

Easy versioneasy

Barre, fret 4hard

Position 6medium

Position 7medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the Badd9 chord sounds like

An add9 chord is a major triad with an added ninth and no seventh. It sounds bright and shimmering – a favourite colour in acoustic pop.

Notes of the Badd9 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	B	root
3	D♯	major third (4 semitones)
5	F♯	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
9	C♯	major second (2 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Easy version

String 1 (e): not played
String 2 (B): fret 2, ring finger (C♯4)
String 3 (G): not played
String 4 (D): fret 1, index finger (D♯3)
String 5 (A): fret 2, middle finger (B2)
String 6 (E): not played

Barre, fret 4, barre at fret 4

String 1 (e): not played
String 2 (B): fret 4, index finger (D♯4)
String 3 (G): fret 4, index finger (B3)
String 4 (D): fret 4, index finger (F♯3)
String 5 (A): fret 4, index finger (C♯3)
String 6 (E): fret 7, little finger (B2)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 4; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 6, barre at fret 6

String 1 (e): fret 7, ring finger (B4)
String 2 (B): fret 7, ring finger (F♯4)
String 3 (G): fret 6, index finger (C♯4)
String 4 (D): fret 9, little finger (B3)
String 5 (A): fret 6, index finger (D♯3)
String 6 (E): fret 7, middle finger (B2)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 6; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Tuning: E A D G B E (low to high). String 6 is the thickest, the low E. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Playing Badd9 with a capo

A capo clamps all the strings at one fret, so a familiar open shape sounds higher. You can also get a Badd9 chord with these open shapes:

Capo: fret 2
shape: Aadd9

Capo: fret 4
shape: Gadd9

Capo: fret 7
shape: Eadd9

Rework a whole song for a capo: chord transposer →

Which keys is it in?

The Badd9 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

B major: Iadd9 (tonic)
E major: Vadd9 (dominant)
F♯ major: IVadd9 (subdominant)
C♯ minor: VIIadd9
G♯ minor: IIIadd9
D♯ minor: VIadd9

Similar chords and substitutes

If Badd9 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

A♭m – relative minor: two shared notes, a common stand-in for the tonic
E♭m – mediant minor (iii): two shared notes
Bmaj7 – a softer, jazzier tonic colour
Bsus4 – suspended version that resolves back to this chord

Simpler versions

B – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
Bsus2 – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
B5 – all 2 of its notes are in this chord

Richer versions

B9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Bmaj9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
B11 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes
B13 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Badd9 chord?

B, D♯, F♯, C♯. The root is B; the intervals of the other notes from the root: major third, perfect fifth, major second.

What is the easiest way to play Badd9 on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Easy version”, rated easy. We show 4 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck. With a capo you can also play it as a Aadd9 shape at fret 2 or a Gadd9 shape at fret 4.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some Badd9 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 4-note chord. The fifth (F♯) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

Why do some songbooks write H instead of B?

In German and Central European notation, H is the note B, and B is the note B♭. So a “B” chord in a German or Hungarian songbook is B♭ in English notation, and an “H” chord is B. Always check which notation your chord chart uses.