Guitar chord · Open shape · Standard tuning
C add9 guitar chord (Cadd9)
Place finger 2 on the 3rd fret of the A, finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the D, finger 3 on the 3rd fret of the B, finger 4 on the 3rd fret of the high e. Don't play the low E string.
C – E – G – D
Loop strum: down, down-up, up-down-up on 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
Next moves
4 fingers, 5 strings, chart notation x32033. Tap the chord box to hear it strummed, then play it string by string to check every note is ringing cleanly.
How to play Cadd9
Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).
- 1st finger (index) — 2nd fret, D string
- 2nd finger (middle) — 3rd fret, A string
- 3rd finger (ring) — 3rd fret, B string
- 4th finger (little) — 3rd fret, high E string
- Play open: G (3rd) — strum it without fretting anything.
- Leave out: low E (6th) — start the strum below it, or damp it with the side of the thumb.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th — low E | Not played | — | × |
| 5th — A | 3rd fret | 2 (middle) | C |
| 4th — D | 2nd fret | 1 (index) | E |
| 3rd — G | Open | — | G |
| 2nd — B | 3rd fret | 3 (ring) | D |
| 1st — high E | 3rd fret | 4 (little) | G |
Notes and intervals in Cadd9
Cadd9 is built from 4 notes: C, E, G and D.
- C — the root
- E — the major 3rd
- G — the perfect 5th
- D — the added 9th
Across the six strings the shape sounds C · E · G · D · G from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.
What Cadd9 is used for
Cadd9 adds a D — the 9th — on the B string to an ordinary C chord, giving it an open, chiming quality without changing what the chord does harmonically. Its real advantage is mechanical: the ring and little fingers sit at the 3rd fret of the top two strings, exactly where they already are in G, so G to Cadd9 needs only two fingers to move.
Common mistakes with Cadd9
- Leaving the C-shape index finger on the B string. In Cadd9 the B string is fretted at the 3rd fret, not the 1st.
- Muting the open G string as the little finger reaches across to the high E.
- Playing the low E. The root C is on the 5th string, so the 6th stays out of the strum.
A first strum pattern
Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” — eighth notes (quavers). Strum down, down-up, up-down-up: down on 1, down on 2, up on the “&” of 2, up on the “&” of 3, down on 4, up on the “&” of 4. Keep your hand moving down and up all the time, and only touch the strings on the marked counts.
Start the strum loop above at 60–70 BPM and change chords on beat 1.
C add9 FAQ
How do you play C add9 on guitar?
Place finger 2 on the 3rd fret of the A, finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the D, finger 3 on the 3rd fret of the B, finger 4 on the 3rd fret of the high e. Don't play the low E string. In chart notation it is x32033, low E string first.
What notes are in C add9?
C, E, G and D: the root, the major 3rd, the perfect 5th and the added 9th.
What chord comes after C add9?
Common changes from C add9: D suspended 4th and E suspended 4th. Practice the switch slowly with the strum loop, then speed it up.
Guitar chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.