Dadd9 chord on guitar

Dadd9 is D, F♯, A and E. The usual shape is x-5-4-2-5-x. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

x-5-4-2-5-x · movable · medium

Notes: D · F♯ · A · E
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
First shape: x-5-4-2-5-x

How to play Dadd9 on guitar

Shape 1, x-5-4-2-5-x, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 2nd fret:

A: index finger, 2nd fret of the G string.
F♯: middle finger, 4th fret of the D string.
D: ring finger, 5th fret of the A string.
E: pinky finger, 5th fret of the B string.
The low E and high E strings must not sound: rest a finger against them.

This shape uses your pinky. It feels weak at first; press with the tip and let the finger stay curved.
The shape stretches across four frets. Bring your thumb lower behind the neck to open the hand up.
Aim the strum at the thinner strings only; the lower ones are marked × for a reason.

Other ways to play Dadd9

10-7-7-9-7-10: partial barre shape at the 7th fret, medium. Up the neck the chord gets thinner and brighter, a good contrast to the open version.
x-x-12-11-10-12: movable shape at the 10th fret, medium. A small shape for quick changes and a lighter sound.

Capo shortcuts for Dadd9

A capo turns an open chord into Dadd9: capo on the 2nd fret and play the open Cadd9 shape (x-3-2-0-3-0). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Moving between Dadd9 and its neighbours

The chords Dadd9 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

G (IV in D major): Dadd9 (x-5-4-2-5-x) to G (3-2-0-0-0-3): your index finger lands on the A string, 2nd fret, your middle finger lands on the low E string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the high E string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. The two chords share D, which is why the change sounds smooth. G on guitar
A (V in D major): Dadd9 (x-5-4-2-5-x) to A (x-0-2-2-2-0): the index finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the B string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared notes: A and E. A on guitar
Bm (vi in D major): Dadd9 (x-5-4-2-5-x) to Bm (x-2-4-4-3-2): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 2nd fret, your middle finger lands on the B string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the D string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. D and F♯ carry over from one chord to the other. Bm on guitar

Dadd9 is D major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. Dadd9 keeps the major sound and adds sparkle, which makes it a drop-in replacement for D in quiet passages. Play it once strummed and once picked to hear the difference.

Getting Dadd9 under your fingers

Before strumming, play x-5-4-2-5-x note by note: D then F♯ then A then E. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Next, alternate x-5-4-2-5-x and 10-7-7-9-7-10, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

Where Dadd9 shows up

Dadd9 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: Dadd9 on piano and Dadd9 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Close to Dadd9

Other add 9 chords

Dadd9 on guitar: questions

What notes are in Dadd9 on guitar?

D, F♯, A and E. In the x-5-4-2-5-x shape the strings play D (A string), F♯ (D string), A (G string) and E (B string).

What's the easiest way to play Dadd9 on guitar?

Dadd9 has no open-string shape in standard tuning, so every version needs a barre or a stretch. Start with x-5-4-2-5-x. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is Dadd9 a barre chord on guitar?

Not usually: x-5-4-2-5-x needs no barre.

Which string does Dadd9 start on?

In the x-5-4-2-5-x shape the lowest string you play is the A string at the 5th fret, which is D, the root. Skip the low E and high E strings.

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside Dadd9. Updated September 2026.