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Db Add9 (Dbadd9)

Also written as C# Add9 (C# and Db are the same key).

Download MIDI
1+3+5+9
E#C#G#D#
4 4

Notes in Db Add9

C# (root)E#G#D#

Inversions

Same notes as Db Add9, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

C# in the bass

E#C#G#D#

1st inversion

E# in the bass (Dbadd9/E#)

E#G#D#C#

2nd inversion

G# in the bass (Dbadd9/G#)

E#G#D#C#

3rd inversion

D# in the bass (Dbadd9/D#)

E#D#C#G#

Open voicings

A close-position chord like Db Add9 can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

G# on the bottom

E#G#C#D#

Drop 3

E# on the bottom

E#C#G#D#

The notes C#, E#, G# and D# make up Db Add9.

Take a plain major triad and drop a ninth on top without adding a seventh underneath it, and the result is bright, open and thoroughly modern. Unlike a full ninth chord it never tips into jazzy territory, which is exactly why it's a staple of pop and singer-songwriter piano and guitar parts.

Related chords

DbDb9Dbmaj9

Difficulty: Intermediate. Category: Extended chords. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.