A♭add9 chord
A♭add9 is A♭, C, E♭ and B♭: 1–3–5–9 built on A♭. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
4-1-1-3-1-4 · partial barre · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
- First shape
- 4-1-1-3-1-4
A♭add9 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · A♭–C–E♭–B♭ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
A♭add9 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
3-3-4-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
- First shape
- 3-3-4-3
Changing out of A♭add9
Three changes cover most of what A♭add9 does in songs.
- A♭add9 → C♯ (IV in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭add9 (4-1-1-3-1-4) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 6th fret, your ring finger lands on the G string, 6th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared note: A♭.
Piano: A♭add9 to C♯: play C♯ in 2nd inversion (G♯–C♯–E♯) and G♯ stays under the same finger, while C moves up to C♯ and E♭ up to E♯. C♯ - A♭add9 → E♭ (V in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭add9 (4-1-1-3-1-4) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): your middle finger stays put, move the index finger to the D string, 1st fret, your ring finger lands on the high E string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger slides across to the B string at the same fret. Listen for E♭ and B♭, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: A♭add9 to E♭: play E♭ in root position (E♭–G–B♭) and E♭ and B♭ stay under the same fingers, while C moves up to G. E♭ - A♭add9 → Fm (vi in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭add9 (4-1-1-3-1-4) to Fm (1-3-3-1-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the A string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share A♭ and C, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: A♭add9 to Fm: play Fm in 1st inversion (A♭–C–F) and A♭ and C stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves up to F. Fm
Guitar with a capo: capo 4, Eadd9 shape.
How A♭add9 is built
A♭add9 is A♭ major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. It keeps the bright major sound and adds a shimmer; guitarists love it because the open shapes ring.
From A♭, go 4 half steps up to C, 3 half steps up to E♭ then 7 half steps up to B♭. You may also see it as G♯add9: same keys, same frets.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ | root | 0 | |
| C | major third | 4 | |
| E♭ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| B♭ | ninth | 14 |
Keys and progressions with A♭add9
A♭add9 sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
Chords close to A♭add9
Chords that share most of their notes with A♭add9: A♭9, E♭sus4, A♭, A♭sus2, Cm7, Cm7♭5.
Every A♭ chord
A♭add9 chord: questions
What notes are in the A♭add9 chord?
A♭, C, E♭ and B♭. A♭add9 is built 1–3–5–9 from A♭: C is the major third, E♭ is the perfect fifth and B♭ is the ninth.
How do you play A♭add9 on guitar?
The usual shape is 4-1-1-3-1-4 (partial barre). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play A♭add9 on piano?
Play A♭, C, E♭ and B♭ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. A♭ sits on the middle black key of the three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play A♭add9 on ukulele?
3-3-4-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is A♭add9 in?
A♭add9 sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
What's the difference between A♭add9 and A♭?
A♭add9 is A♭ plus B♭.
All three instruments are drawn and played from A♭, C, E♭ and B♭ by the same engine. Updated September 2026.