Gm(add9) keeps everything that makes G minor sound dark, the Bb above all, and lets in one note of air: A, the ninth. It stays minor, but it breathes. In an arpeggio it sounds intimate and a little cinematic. The one rule is to keep the Bb: lose it and you are playing a different chord.
Gm(add9) chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: G minor add nine
- Symbol: Gm(add9)
- Notes: G, Bb, D, A
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm(add9), four strings | xx5335 | G Bb D A | The clearest version: the four string Gm with the fourth finger adding A on the high E. Complete, no bass strings. |
| Gm(add9), thumb bass | 3x5335 | G G Bb D A | The same shape with the thumb on the low E at fret 3, for a G in the bass. |
| Gm(add9), barre | 355335 | G D G Bb D A | The Gm barre with the high E raised to A at fret 5. The third finger lies across the A and D strings: dense and dramatic, and a stretch. |
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.
Gm(add9) on the neck: every G, Bb, D, A
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Gm(add9): any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Gm(add9).
From Gm to Gm(add9): one finger
Start from the four string G minor, xx5333: first finger flat across the G, B and high E strings at fret 3, third finger on the D string at fret 5. Now lift the first finger off the high E and put the fourth finger there at fret 5. The G on top becomes A. That is xx5335, Gm(add9).
Play Gm, Gm(add9), Gm, slowly. Two things should be audible: the Bb on the G string stays put, and the A opens the top of the chord.
The open voicing: 3x0335
The richest Gm(add9) on the guitar mixes a fretted bass, an open string and a high ninth. It reaches fret 5 while a string rings open, so it does not fit a four fret chord diagram; here it is string by string.
| String | Fret | Note | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low E | 3 | G | Root |
| A | muted | ||
| D | open | D | Fifth |
| G | 3 | Bb | Minor third |
| B | 3 | D | Fifth |
| High E | 5 | A | Ninth |
Thumb or second finger on the low E at fret 3, touching the A string to mute it. First finger flat across the G and B strings at fret 3, fourth finger on the high E at fret 5, and let the D string ring. Arpeggiate it first, one string at a time, to make sure the open D and the Bb both sound.
Gm(add9), Gsus2, Gadd9 and Gm9
Four chords with an A in them, and four different sounds.
Using it in a progression
Songs rarely write the add9 on their charts. Take a progression in G minor or Bb major that has a plain Gm, and try Gm(add9) in its place, for example Gm(add9), Eb, Bb, F, or Gm(add9), Cm, Eb, D. If the melody sits on A at that moment, the ninth will sound natural; if it sits on Bb, the A will rub against it, so play the plain Gm there.
Do not put it everywhere. A ninth on every minor chord loses its effect; kept for one or two moments, it is what people remember. The same color on other roots: Dm(add9), Am(add9) and Em(add9).
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in Gm(add9)?
How do you play Gm add9 on guitar?
What is the difference between Gm(add9) and Gsus2?
What is the difference between Gm(add9) and Gm9?
Is Gm(add9) the same as Gmadd9?
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.