A♭add9 chord on guitar

A♭add9 is A♭, C, E♭ and B♭. The usual shape is 4-1-1-3-1-4. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

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

How to play A♭add9 on guitar

Shape 1, 4-1-1-3-1-4, reading from the low E string on the left:

Lay your index finger flat across the 4 strings from the A string to the B string at the 1st fret.
Middle finger: G string, 3rd fret (B♭).
Ring finger: low E string, 4th fret (A♭).
Pinky: high E string, 4th fret (A♭).

Press the small barre with the pad of the finger, not the whole finger; the other strings stay free.
The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.
The shape stretches across four frets. Bring your thumb lower behind the neck to open the hand up.

Other ways to play A♭add9

x-11-10-8-11-x: movable shape at the 8th fret, medium. The root is on the A string; it's the Aadd9 shape moved up the neck.
x-x-6-5-4-6: movable shape at the 4th fret, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.

Playing A♭add9 with a capo

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 4th fret and play the open Eadd9 shape (0-2-4-1-0-0). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

A♭add9 chord changes

These are the changes you'll meet most often with A♭add9, using the first shape of each chord.

C♯ (IV in A♭ major): 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♭. C♯ on guitar
E♭ (V in A♭ major): 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. E♭ on guitar
Fm (vi in A♭ major): 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. Fm on guitar

A♭add9 is A♭ major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. A♭add9 keeps the major sound and adds sparkle, which makes it a drop-in replacement for A♭ in quiet passages. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Getting A♭add9 under your fingers

Before strumming, play 4-1-1-3-1-4 note by note: A♭ then B♭ then E♭ then B♭ then C then A♭. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Next, alternate 4-1-1-3-1-4 and x-11-10-8-11-x, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

You may also see it as G♯add9; nothing changes on the guitar.

Where A♭add9 shows up

A♭add9 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: A♭add9 on piano and A♭add9 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Related A♭ chords on guitar

Other add 9 chords

A♭add9 on guitar: questions

What notes are in A♭add9 on guitar?

A♭, C, E♭ and B♭. In the 4-1-1-3-1-4 shape the strings play A♭ (low E string), B♭ (A string), E♭ (D string), B♭ (G string), C (B string) and A♭ (high E string), so A♭ and B♭ are doubled.

What's the easiest way to play A♭add9 on guitar?

A♭add9 has no open-string shape in standard tuning, so every version needs a barre or a stretch. Start with x-11-10-8-11-x. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo can make it easier in some songs.

Is A♭add9 a barre chord on guitar?

Not in its common form: 4-1-1-3-1-4 needs no barre.

Which string does A♭add9 start on?

In the 4-1-1-3-1-4 shape the lowest string you play is the low E string at the 4th fret, which is A♭, the root.

Every shape above plays only A♭, C, E♭ and B♭, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.