As the tonic (I)C♭ major
Home. The loop leaves C♭add9 and keeps coming back to it.
C♭add9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C♭add9 chord is a added ninth chord built on the root note C♭. Its notes are C♭, E♭, G♭ and D♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as Badd9.
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Quality
Short answer
Added ninth chords are open and shimmering. Unlike a ninth chord they leave the seventh out, so the added second degree colours the triad without any of the tension a dominant brings, a favourite of pop and worship guitarists.
- Notes
- C♭ · E♭ · G♭ · D♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 14
- Note
- C♭
- Quality
- Added 9
- Symbol
- C♭add9
C♭add9 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play C♭add9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C♭, index finger on D♭, middle finger on E♭ and little finger on G♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭, G♭ and D♭ are black keys and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♭1
- D♭9
- E♭3
- G♭5
C♭add9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C♭add9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 4. Don't play string 6.
C♭ · E♭ · G♭ · D♭
Play C♭add9 on the online piano
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C♭add9 chord notes
Also known as Badd9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | D♭(Db) |
How to use the C♭add9 chord
The C♭add9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major ninth. Start at the root C♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C♭, E♭, G♭ and D♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Added ninth chords replace plain major chords when a part needs air, especially in fingerpicked guitar and piano pads. They are everywhere in pop ballads, worship music and indie rock.
How C♭add9 differs from similar chords
C♭add9 adds a ninth to C♭ and leaves the seventh out, which is exactly what separates it from C♭9 and C♭maj9. Unlike C♭sus2, it keeps the major third, so it stays clearly major. The ninth is the same note as the second, only an octave higher.
Where C♭add9 is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C♭add9 chord?
- The C♭add9 chord contains C♭, E♭, G♭ and D♭ (Cb, Eb, Gb and Db in plain text).
- Is the C♭add9 chord major or minor?
- C♭add9 is a added ninth chord. Added ninth chords are open and shimmering. Unlike a ninth chord they leave the seventh out, so the added second degree colours the triad without any of the tension a dominant brings, a favourite of pop and worship guitarists.
- How do you play C♭add9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C♭, E♭, G♭ and D♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard E♭, G♭ and D♭ are black keys and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B.
- How do you play C♭add9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 4. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the C♭add9 chord?
- C♭add9 is enharmonically equivalent to Badd9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.