Dadd9 is D major with one note added: E, the ninth. Nothing is taken away, and that is the point. The F# stays, so the chord is still clearly major and stable, while the E opens it up and makes it shimmer. It is the sound of a lot of modern acoustic playing. The catch on guitar is that the favorite shape, xx0252, asks for a stretch, so this page gives you ways in near the nut as well.
Dadd9 chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: D add nine
- Symbol: Dadd9
- Notes: D, F#, A, E
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dadd9, open with F# bass | xx4230 | F# A D E | All four notes near the nut, with F# as the lowest note. Bright and easy to fingerpick. |
| Dadd9, F# on the low E | 2x0230 | F# D A D E | A big, open sounding Dadd9 over an F# bass. Mute the A string with the finger on the low E. |
| Dadd9, tenth fret | x x 12 11 10 12 | D F# A E | A compact, closed voicing with D in the bass and every note once. No open strings, so it moves anywhere. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
Dadd9 on the neck: every D, F#, A, E
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Dadd9: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Dadd9.
The classic shape, xx0252, string by string
This is the Dadd9 most guitarists mean. It spans five frets with an open string, which is more than our four fret diagrams can show, so here it is string by string.
| String | Fret | Note | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low E, A | x | none | Not played |
| D | 0 | D | Root |
| G | 2 | A | Fifth |
| B | 5 | E | Ninth |
| High E | 2 | F# | Major third |
Lay the first finger flat across the G, B and high E strings at fret 2, then put the fourth finger on the B string at fret 5. The B string sounds the higher note, so the flat finger underneath does no harm. Strum from the open D string down.
x54230: D,
F#, A, D and E, with D in the bass. First finger on the G string at fret
2, second on the B string at fret 3, third on the D string at fret 4,
fourth on the A string at fret 5, and the high E open. It is a wide grip;
give it time.
Dadd9, Dsus2 and D9: do not mix them up
These three are often confused, and chord charts sometimes swap them. The test is simple: look for F# and for C.
| Chord | Notes | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Dadd9 | D, F#, A, E | F# is there, no C. Major and stable, with a bright extra note. |
| Dsus2 | D, E, A | No F#. Open and undecided, neither major nor minor. |
| D9 | D, F#, A, C, E | C is there: a dominant chord that wants to move to G. |
The open shapes make the point. xx0230 is Dsus2: the high E string
rings open as E, and nothing plays F#. xx0252 is Dadd9: the high
E is fretted at 2 for F#, and the E moves to the B string. Same D and A underneath,
one crucial note on top.
Changes to practice
| Change | Shapes | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|
| D, Dadd9, G, A | xx0232, xx0252, 320003, x02220 | The fourth finger reaches up for the ninth, then lets it go. |
| Dadd9, A, Bm, G | xx0252, x02220, x24432, 320003 | Follow the E as it appears and disappears; try to sing it. |
| D, Dadd9, Dsus4, D | xx0232, xx0252, xx0233, xx0232 | Three colors over the same open D bass. Let each one ring out. |
Go slowly and keep the strumming hand steady while the fretting hand adds and removes the color. For the chords around it, see the D chord, Dsus4 and B minor pages. The same add9 idea gives Cadd9 and Eadd9.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it matters | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Playing Dsus2 and calling it Dadd9 | Without F# the major color is gone | Check that the high E is fretted at 2 (or that F# is somewhere). |
| The B string is muted in xx0252 | The ninth, the whole point, disappears | Arch the fourth finger and press with its tip at fret 5. |
| Letting the A string ring | The bass gets muddy and D loses its place | Start the strum on the D string. |
| Using add9 everywhere | The color stops sounding special | Save it for a phrase ending or an arpeggio. |
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Dadd9 on guitar?
What notes are in a Dadd9 chord?
What is the difference between Dadd9 and Dsus2?
What is the difference between Dadd9 and D9?
Can I use Dadd9 instead of D?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.