Aadd9 chord on ukulele

Aadd9 is A, C♯, E and B. The easiest shape is 2-1-0-2. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

2-1-0-2 · open · easy

Notes: A · C♯ · E · B
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
First shape: 2-1-0-2

How to play Aadd9 on ukulele

Shape 1, 2-1-0-2, reading from the G string on the left:

C♯: index finger, 1st fret of the C string.
A: middle finger, 2nd fret of the G string.
B: ring finger, 2nd fret of the A string.
Leave the E string open: E.

Arch your fingers so their tips come down vertically. That keeps them off the open strings, which have to ring for the chord to sound complete.
On ukulele you strum all four strings. The top G string is tuned higher than the C, which is why ukulele chords sound bright and close.

Other ways to play Aadd9

4-4-5-4: movable shape at the 4th fret, medium. Same notes, stacked differently, so it sounds a little different.
9-11-9-12: movable shape at the 9th fret, medium. A high voicing for when the low version is taken by another instrument.

Aadd9 chord changes

These are the changes you'll meet most often with Aadd9, using the first shape of each chord.

D (IV in A major): Aadd9 (2-1-0-2) to D (2-2-2-0): move the index finger to the G string, 2nd fret, the middle finger slides across to the C string at the same fret, the ring finger slides across to the E string at the same fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for A, which stays put while the rest moves. D on ukulele
E (V in A major): Aadd9 (2-1-0-2) to E (1-4-0-2): the index finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the C string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share E and B, which is why the change sounds smooth. E on ukulele
F♯m (vi in A major): Aadd9 (2-1-0-2) to F♯m (2-1-2-0): your index and middle fingers stay put, the ring finger slides across to the E string at the same fret. An easy one to get up to speed. The two chords share A and C♯, which is why the change sounds smooth. F♯m on ukulele

Aadd9 is A major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. All 4 notes of Aadd9 fit on the ukulele's four strings. Play it once strummed and once picked to hear the difference.

Getting Aadd9 under your fingers

Arpeggiate 2-1-0-2 from the lowest string: A, C♯, E, B. Then strum it and listen for the same 4 notes together. Next, alternate 2-1-0-2 and 4-4-5-4, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

Where Aadd9 shows up

Aadd9 on guitar and piano

Switching instruments? Try Aadd9 on piano or Aadd9 on guitar, or compare them on the Aadd9 chord page.

Next to try on ukulele

Other add 9 chords

Aadd9 on ukulele: questions

What notes are in Aadd9 on ukulele?

A, C♯, E and B. In the 2-1-0-2 shape the strings play A (G string), C♯ (C string), E (E string, open) and B (A string).

What's the easiest way to play Aadd9 on ukulele?

2-1-0-2, the first shape on this page. Open strings do part of the work, so no barre.

Is Aadd9 a barre chord on ukulele?

Not in its common form: 2-1-0-2 needs no barre.

Which string does Aadd9 start on?

In the 2-1-0-2 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 2nd fret, which is A, the root.

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside Aadd9. Updated September 2026.