Modal RunsCadd9 Chord (Add 9)
Add9 stacks a 9th on top of a plain major triad, with no 7th in between — root, 3rd, 5th, 9th. The notes of Cadd9 are C, E, G, D.
Brighter and more shimmering than a plain major triad, without the jazziness a 7th would introduce — a pop and rock colour chord.
Cadd9 voicings on guitar
Every playable, root-in-the-bass grip standard tuning offers, computed from the chord’s own formula — not a fixed shape library.
Compare it directly to plain major on the same root: the 9th adds sparkle while the chord still resolves just as simply.
Formula and intervals
R - 3 - 5 - 2 — 4 notes.
Scales that fit Cadd9
Every scale below contains all of this chord’s notes — safe territory to improvise in over it.
Also compatible: Major Pentatonic, Major Blues.