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A♭add9

Character: shimmering

  1. A♭Rtriad
  2. C3triad
  3. E♭5triad
  4. B♭9add
Open A♭add9 in the chord libraryDownload the A♭add9 chart (PDF)
Voicings

4 ways to play A♭add9

Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.

  • Triad note
  • Substitute
  • Added
  • Anchored root
  • Bass
  • Doubling
CC shape 1st inversion A♭add9/C
6 7 8 9 10 11 9 R 5 3

Frets x x 10 8 9 6Notes C E♭ A♭ B♭Intervals 3 5 1 9Base triadA♭ major, 1st inversion

The 9th gets a string of its own.

CC shape Root position A♭add9
8 9 10 11 9 5 3 R 3

Frets x 11 10 8 11 8Notes A♭ C E♭ B♭Intervals 1 3 5 9Base triadA♭ major, root position

The 9th gets a string of its own.

GG shape Root position A♭add9
1 2 3 4 9 5 3 R R 3

Frets 4 3 1 3 1 4Notes A♭ C E♭ B♭Intervals 1 3 5 9Base triadA♭ major, root position

The 9th gets a string of its own.

EE shape Root position A♭add9
4 5 6 7 9 5 3 R 5 R

Frets 4 6 6 5 4 6Notes A♭ C E♭ B♭Intervals 1 3 5 9Base triadA♭ major, root position

The 9th gets a string of its own.

The rules

The construction rules A♭add9 follows

  1. Start from a triad

    Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.

  2. No 7th, no stack

    6, add9, add11 and 6/9 are a triad with a colour note, not a stack. Without a 7th the chord sounds open rather than jazzy.

All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.

Add 9 in every key

More chords on A♭

A♭add9 chord questions

What notes are in A♭add9?

A♭add9 is spelled A♭ C E♭ B♭: A♭ is the root, C is the 3rd, E♭ is the 5th, B♭ is the 9th.

What is the formula of A♭add9?

1 3 5 9. It is a A♭ major triad with the 9th stacked on top.

How many ways can you play A♭add9 on guitar?

This page shows 4 voicings of A♭add9, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.