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C Add9 (Cadd9)

Download MIDI
1+3+5+9
CEGD
4 4

Notes in C Add9

C (root)EGD

Inversions

Same notes as C 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

CEGD

1st inversion

E in the bass (Cadd9/E)

EGDC

2nd inversion

G in the bass (Cadd9/G)

GDCE

3rd inversion

D in the bass (Cadd9/D)

DCEG

Open voicings

A close-position chord like C 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

GCED

Drop 3

E on the bottom

ECGD

C Add9 is built from C, E, G and D.

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

CC9Cmaj9

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.