About the Eadd9 chord
An add9 is a major chord with the ninth added and no seventh. It is bright and shimmering, and a favourite in pop and acoustic playing. The symbol for it is Eadd9.
How to play Eadd9
- Put your index finger on the G string at fret 1.
- Put your middle finger on the A string at fret 2.
- Put your ring finger on the D string at fret 2.
- Put your little finger on the high E string at fret 2.
- Strum and let the low E and B strings ring open.
1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little
Chords in the key of E major
These are the chords built on each note of the E major scale, so they all sound good together with Eadd9. The Roman numeral under each one is its position in the key.
Other E chords
Eadd9 chord questions
What notes are in a Eadd9 chord?
Eadd9 is made of E, G♯, B and F♯. In intervals that is 1, 3, 5, 9 above the root, E.
What is the easiest way to play Eadd9?
The first shape above is the most common one: 0 2 2 1 0 2 from the low E string to the high E, where x means don't play that string and 0 means play it open. Start there, and try the other shapes once it feels comfortable.
Is Eadd9 a barre chord?
The main shape above is an open chord with no barre. Some of the other shapes further up the neck do use a barre, which lets you move the same shape to any key.