The Aadd9 chord contains A, C♯, E and B, with formula 1–3–5–9. It keeps C♯ as the major third and adds B without a seventh. Compare two root-bass layouts and the two practice tasks.
Read the Aadd9 chord as A major plus B. The higher example uses A3–C♯4–E4–B4; the lower example uses A3–B3–C♯4–E4. These have the same four pitch classes while placing B an octave apart. Add9 and add2 naming follows context; the written octave labels identify the arrangement shown.
The examples below are complete four-note references. They do not list every omission a performer might make.
Two explicitly authored root-bass spacing examples; this is not a claim that added-note chords cannot be inverted.
For the Aadd9 chord, Build the chord tones accepts A, C♯, E and B in any octave. Match this example also checks the displayed registers. Correct chord tones in other octaves receive a spacing hint, so a change of voicing is distinguished from an incorrect note.
Use A, C♯, E, B. The formula is 1–3–5–9. Keep the C♯ third: removing it changes the note collection to a suspended shape.
The list above names the chord members. For a specific register, read the octave numbers on the selected example below.
Start with A3 – C♯4 – E4 – B4. Then switch to A3 – B3 – C♯4 – E4. The B moves down one octave while the other three notes stay in place.
Both examples keep A as the lowest note. This comparison changes spacing, not the bass. It is a pair of reference examples, not a complete inversion catalogue.
| Example | Notation hint | Notes, low to high | Bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Added note higher (9th layout), current selection | Aadd9 | A3–C♯4–E4–B4 | A3 |
| Added note lower (2nd layout) | Aadd2 | A3–B3–C♯4–E4 | A3 |
Here, the higher layout is labelled Aadd9; the inside-the-triad layout is shown with the Aadd2 notation hint. This follows the textbook illustration, not a claim that every player uses the labels identically.
Musicca also lists add2 as an alternative add9 label. For an exact arrangement, use the written pitches or score. For a note-identification exercise, separate the chord members from their octaves.
This page's complete added-note examples include the third and no seventh. A ninth-chord formula includes a seventh; a sus2 collection omits the third. Compare the note lists, not just the number 9 in a symbol.
| Symbol | Notes or formula | Third | Seventh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aadd9 | A–C♯–E–B | Included | Not included |
| A9 | 1–3–5–♭7–9 | Included | Included |
| Asus2 | 1–2–5 | Not included | Not included |
Read A, C♯, E, B as four chord members. The B is the added member; it is not a finger number or a new key signature.
Octave numbers such as C4 locate a register. They are separate from scale degrees and finger numbers.
First choose the four note names in Aadd9, in any octave. Next select Match this example and reproduce the specific notes displayed. Correct chord tones in different octaves should receive a spacing hint, not a message that the chord itself is wrong.
These browser exercises check your selection on this page, not a performance on an acoustic piano. Fingerings are not supplied; the diagrams are not a prescribed one-hand stretch.
The reference brings together the formula, both keyboard layouts and their octave labels. Use it beside your keyboard when comparing the two examples.
The Aadd9 chord diagrams locate keys and registers without prescribing finger numbers or a one-hand stretch. Both examples retain A in the bass. C♯ is part of the collection; replacing it with C natural changes the third rather than just the spacing.
Read left- and right-hand finger numbersOpen Music Theory / VIVA Open Publishing
Supports: Added-note symbols do not imply a seventh; Cadd9 and Cadd2 illustrate different placements of D.
Scope: Theory and naming reference only. The transposed keyboard layouts on this page are PianoGrid examples; no fingering is assigned.
PianoChord.org
Supports: Major and minor add9/add2 construction and naming.
Scope: Theory and naming reference only. The transposed keyboard layouts on this page are PianoGrid examples; no fingering is assigned.
A, C♯, E and B. The Aadd9 chord retains the third C♯ and adds a ninth B to A major. No seventh is included.
The Aadd9 chord has no seventh. The complete A9 formula is 1–3–5–♭7–9 and includes G natural. Compare chord members before deciding how to arrange them.
No. The Aadd9 chord includes C♯ as its third. Asus2 uses A, B and E without C♯. Moving B to a different octave does not remove the third from the four-note collection.
The Aadd9 chord can use different spacings. Compare B4 above the triad with B3 inside it. This page gives the lower layout an Aadd2 naming hint; that example is not a universal rule for every score.
The note names are correct but the octaves differ from the selected example. Build the chord tones accepts those octave differences; Match this example also checks the exact registers.
No. Both supplied layouts have A lowest and illustrate the placement of B. Other voicings and inversions are possible; the page does not assign fingering or require a particular hand shape.
First choose the four note names in Aadd9, in any octave. Next select Match this example and reproduce the specific notes displayed. Correct chord tones in different octaves should receive a spacing hint, not a message that the chord itself is wrong.
These browser exercises check your selection on this page, not a performance on an acoustic piano. Fingerings are not supplied; the diagrams are not a prescribed one-hand stretch.
Choose A, C♯, E, B, in any octave.
Chord tones: A–C♯–E–B · Formula: 1, 3, 5, 9
Dots mark the notes to play. C4 is middle C. Numbers identify octaves, not fingers.