Piano chord

Cadd9C added ninth

Notes: 4
Positions: 4
Span: 14semitones
Fingers: 1-2-3-5

How to play Cadd9 on piano

Find C: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
Right hand: 1 on C, 2 on E, 3 on G, 5 on D.
Or with the left hand: 5 on C, 4 on E, 3 on G, 1 on D.
Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.

Root position · C – E – G – D
1st inversion · E – G – D – C
2nd inversion · G – D – C – E
3rd inversion · D – C – E – G

Numbers on the keys are fingers: 1 thumb, 2 index, 3 middle, 4 ring, 5 little finger.

Cadd9 inversions

Here are all 4 positions of Cadd9. The notes stay the same, only their order changes: root position has C at the bottom, and every inversion starts on the next chord tone.

Root positionbass: C
Right hand 1-2-3-5 · Left hand 5-4-3-1
1st inversionbass: E
Right hand 1-2-3-5 · Left hand 5-4-3-1
2nd inversionbass: G
Right hand 1-2-4-5 · Left hand 5-4-2-1
3rd inversionbass: D
Right hand 1-3-4-5 · Left hand 5-3-2-1

Cadd9 with two hands

A full sound: the left hand plays C an octave lower, the right hand plays C–E–G–D.

Cadd9 on other instruments

About the Cadd9 chord

The 4 notes of C added ninth are C (1), E (3), G (5), D (9). An added ninth: a major triad plus the ninth, without a seventh. It adds sparkle to a plain major chord and works anywhere the triad does.

Put your thumb on C and count up: C – E – G – D. The whole chord spans 14 semitones from bottom to top. That is wider than an octave, so most pianists split Cadd9: C in the left hand, the upper notes in the right.

The inversions of Cadd9 keep the same notes in a new order. In the 1st inversion the bass is E (E–G–D–C). In the 2nd inversion the bass is G (G–D–C–E). In the 3rd inversion the bass is D (D–C–E–G).

Add D to C and you have Cadd9.

Questions

What notes are in the Cadd9 chord?

Cadd9 (C added ninth) has 4 notes: C (1), E (3), G (5), D (9).

How many inversions does Cadd9 have?

Cadd9 can be played in 4 positions: Root position (C–E–G–D); 1st inversion (E–G–D–C); 2nd inversion (G–D–C–E); 3rd inversion (D–C–E–G).

What is the difference between Cadd9 and C?

Add D to C and you have Cadd9.

Can I play Cadd9 with one hand?

In root position Cadd9 spans 14 semitones, more than an octave. Play the root with the left hand and the upper notes with the right, or leave out the fifth.