Piano chords · Add9 chord
Badd9 piano chord (B added ninth)
Badd9 is a added ninth chord with 4 notes. It sounds bright and shimmering. Here's how to find it, play it and hear it.
B – D♯ – F♯ – C♯ · tap any key to hear it
The notes of Badd9
Badd9 is built from 4 notes (1 – 3 – 5 – 9):
- B, the root
- D♯, the major third
- F♯, the fifth
- C♯, the ninth
D♯ and F♯ and C♯ are black keys, so keep your hand slightly further in, towards the fallboard, to reach them without stretching.
Fingering
- Right hand: 1 on B, 2 on D♯, 3 on F♯, 5 on C♯ (the C♯ is a stretch: it sits a ninth above B; if it's too wide, play the B with your left hand).
- Left hand: 5 on B, 3 on D♯, 2 on F♯, 1 on C♯.
Press every key at exactly the same moment, with the same weight. If one note sounds louder or a fraction late, the chord sounds uneven: play it slowly and listen for one sound.
Where Badd9 belongs
Like B, Badd9 is the I chord in B major, the IV chord in F♯ major and the V chord in E major.
Badd9 is B with the ninth, C♯, added on top: the second note of the scale, an octave up. It keeps the major chord's brightness and adds a shimmer.
Hear it in a progression
Badd9 – F♯ – G♯m – E: Iadd9 – V – vi – IV, the pop progression with a lift.
Playing it, but it doesn't sound right? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a chord that's uneven. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What notes are in the Badd9 chord?
Badd9 (B added ninth) is made of B, D♯, F♯ and C♯: the root, major third, fifth and ninth.
How do you play Badd9 on piano?
With your right hand, use fingers 1 on B, 2 on D♯, 3 on F♯, 5 on C♯ (the C♯ is a stretch: it sits a ninth above B; if it's too wide, play the B with your left hand), and press them together. With your left hand: 5 on B, 3 on D♯, 2 on F♯, 1 on C♯.
How is Badd9 different from the plain chord?
Badd9 is B with the ninth, C♯, added on top: the second note of the scale, an octave up. It keeps the major chord's brightness and adds a shimmer.