What notes are in a G#add9 chord?

G#add9 (Add 9) is built from G#, C, D#, A# — the formula R - 3 - 5 - 2 from the root.

G#add9 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 G#add9 are G#, C, D#, A#.

Brighter and more shimmering than a plain major triad, without the jazziness a 7th would introduce — a pop and rock colour chord.

Every playable, root-in-the-bass grip standard tuning offers, computed from the chord’s own formula — not a fixed shape library.

Fret 1

Fret 4

Fret 8

Compare it directly to plain major on the same root: the 9th adds sparkle while the chord still resolves just as simply.

R - 3 - 5 - 2 — 4 notes.

Every scale below contains all of this chord’s notes — safe territory to improvise in over it.

Also compatible: Major Pentatonic, Major Blues.