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The Eadd9 chord on guitar: E major with an open top

Eadd9 is an E major chord with one note added: F#, the ninth. Nothing is taken away, so the chord keeps its major third and its stability, it just sounds wider and brighter. If you can play an open E, you are one finger away from it.

Eadd9 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: E add nine
  • Symbol: Eadd9
  • Notes: E, G#, B, F#

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
Eadd9, open 022102 E B E G# B F# E major with F# on the high E string. All six strings, the shape most players mean by Eadd9.
Eadd9, top four strings xx2102 E G# B F# The same color on four strings with three fingers. Lighter, good for fingerpicking.
Eadd9, ninth in the middle 024100 E B F# G# B E F# moves to the D string, right next to G#. The two notes rub, which gives a shimmering, modern sound.
Eadd9, seventh fret x7647x E G# B F# The Cadd9 shape with no open strings, moved up to E. A four fret stretch, so warm up first.
Eadd9, open 0 2 2 1 0 2 · 2 3 1 · 4 fingers
Eadd9, top four strings x x 2 1 0 2 · · 2 1 · 3 fingers
Eadd9, ninth in the middle 0 2 4 1 0 0 · 2 4 1 · · fingers
Eadd9, seventh fret x 7 6 4 7 x · 3 2 1 4 · fingers

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.

Eadd9 on the neck: every E, G#, B, F#

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Eadd9: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Eadd9.

Fretboard notes
Swipe the fretboard sideways to see every fret.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
2 - B
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
3 - G
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
4 - D
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
5 - A
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
6 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E

How to play Eadd9, from the E chord

  1. Play an open E: second finger on the A string at fret 2, third finger on the D string at fret 2, first finger on the G string at fret 1.
  2. Add the fourth finger on the high E string at fret 2. That note is F#, the ninth.
  3. Leave the B string open between them, and strum all six strings. Arch the fourth finger so it does not touch the open B.

Then play E, Eadd9, E. The function of the chord does not move, only the top note does: E, then F#, then E. That is the add9 color in its plainest form. Check the G string as you go: G# is the note that keeps the chord major.

Eadd9, Esus2 and E9: three different chords

The three names all contain a 2 or a 9, and they are easy to mix up. Look at what each one keeps and adds.

Chord Notes Open shape What it means
Eadd9 E, G#, B, F# 022102 The full major chord plus the ninth
Esus2 E, F#, B 024400 No third: F# takes the place of G#
E9 E, G#, B, D, F# 020102 Adds the minor seventh D: a dominant chord

Put simply: add9 adds, sus2 replaces, and 9 adds the seventh too. Play the three shapes back to back and you will hear major and bright, open and undecided, then bluesy and restless.

Progressions to practice Eadd9

Eadd9 sits wherever E major sits: the I chord in E, the IV chord in B, the V chord in A. Three short loops to put it to work, four beats per chord.

Progression Shapes Listen for
E, Eadd9, A, B 022100, 022102, x02220, x24442 The ninth appearing on top, then the I IV V carrying on
Eadd9, B, C#m, A 022102, x24442, x46654, x02220 The I V vi IV of E, with an open sounding I
E, Eadd9, Esus4, E 022100, 022102, 022200, 022100 Three colors over one bass note, then home

The last loop also uses Esus4. The B and C#m in the second loop are barre chords; if they are not there yet, the barre chords page builds them step by step.

Common mistakes

  • The G# disappears. The third finger leans onto the G string and kills it. The chord turns into Esus2 without you noticing. Play the strings one by one and fix the angle of the finger.
  • The open B goes dead. The fourth finger reaching for the high E lies across it. Come down on the very tip of the finger.
  • Add9 everywhere. A color used on every E stops being a color. Save it for the intro, the last chord, or a bar where the chord rings out.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Eadd9 on guitar?
Play an open E major (022100) and add the fourth finger on the high E string at fret 2: 022102. Second finger on the A string at fret 2, third finger on the D string at fret 2, first finger on the G string at fret 1. All six strings ring.
What notes are in Eadd9?
Four: E, G#, B and F#. It is the E major triad (E, G#, B) with the ninth, F#, added. There is no seventh.
What is the difference between Eadd9 and Esus2?
The third. Eadd9 keeps G#, so it still sounds clearly major. Esus2 drops G# and keeps only E, F# and B, which sounds open and undecided. If G# is muted in your Eadd9, you are actually playing Esus2.
What is the difference between Eadd9 and E9?
E9 also contains D, the minor seventh, which turns it into a dominant chord that pulls toward A. Eadd9 has no seventh: it stays a stable E major, just brighter.
Can I play Eadd9 instead of E?
Often, yes. It does the same job as E major, so the progression still works. Check the melody: if the singer holds an E or a G# right where your F# rings, the add9 can blur it. Use it on chosen moments, like an intro, an ending or a held chord.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

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.