Dadd9 Guitar Chord

Dadd9 guitar chord: see the fingering, compare positions, and hear it before you play.

Back to Chord Dictionary

Shape 1/2

Chord shapes:(2 positions)

View HD sheet

Standard

Arpeggio for this shape

P - i - m - a · Classic Ascending (4/4 · 4 notes · Level 1)

The thumb plays D on the 5th and the three top strings add up to 3 different notes. All 6 arpeggios

Steady bass with uniform ascending movement.

Speed:

What sets Dadd9 apart

Play Dadd9 one string at a time and you hear D, F#, A and E. D is the root, F# the major third, A the fifth and E the ninth. Said aloud, its notes are D, F sharp, A and E.

String by string, low to high, it plays D, F#, A, D and E. Of the five strings you play, two give D, the note that names the chord. It runs from D on string 5 up to E on string 1.

In Dadd9, only one string rings open, string 1, which gives E. Avoid string 6. Your hand covers four frets, from 2 to 5. There is one more position, starting at fret 2.

Dsus2 is very close. You only move strings 5 and 4. Dadd9 and Bm have D and F# in common. Bm shares two positions with this shape.

Dadd9 shows up in six keys. In D major it is the Iadd9, in G major the Vadd9 and in A major the IVadd9. The rest appear in the key list.

Chord Progressions

Explore recommended harmonic circles on CifraLab:

Recommended practice sequences

01D D - Bm - Em - A7 02F#m F#m - D - Bm - C#7

Music Theory & Formula

Component notes and harmonic structure (Dadd9)

Formula: Major Added Ninth (1 - 3 - 5 - 9)

Constituent chord intervals:

D 1F# 3A 5E 9

Root Bass (Fundamental String)5th String (A) • Fret 5 (D)

String Control (Muted & Active)5 / 6 • 1 X Muted

2 Fretboard Positions

Other fretboard positions for Dadd9:

Select each shape in the diagram above to view and listen to it

Standard

Standard Position

5 / 6 stringsRoot: 5th String (A)

String Control (Muted & Active):

6th String (Low E)

×Muted

Do not play

Root

5th String (A)

Fret 5Finger 4

DDegree 1

4th String (D)

Fret 4Finger 3

F#Degree 3

3rd String (G)

Fret 2Finger 1

ADegree 5

2nd String (B)

Fret 3Finger 2

DDegree 1

1st String (High E)

○Open

EDegree 9

Placement tip: Press: 5th String (A) at fret 5 with your Pinky finger, 4th String (D) at fret 4 with your Ring finger, 3rd String (G) at fret 2 with your Index finger, 2nd String (B) at fret 3 with your Middle finger. Play open: 1st String (High E). Don't play: 6th String (Low E).

Barre 5

Barre fret 2

5 / 6 stringsRoot: 5th String (A)

String Control (Muted & Active):

6th String (Low E)

×Muted

Do not play

Root

5th String (A)

Fret 5

DDegree 1

4th String (D)

Fret 4

F#Degree 3

3rd String (G)

Fret 2Barre

ADegree 5

2nd String (B)

Fret 5

EDegree 9

1st String (High E)

Fret 2Barre

F#Degree 3

Placement tip: Barre fret 2. Press: 5th String (A) at fret 5, 4th String (D) at fret 4, 2nd String (B) at fret 5. Don't play: 6th String (Low E).

Biomechanics & Posture

Ergonomic tips to play without tension or fatigue (Dadd9)

Standard Position

The shape in numbers

Item	In this chord
Frets	2 to 5
Fretting fingers	4
Open	1st
Muted	6th

What to check

The open 1st string sits next to a fretting finger.

The hand spans 4 frets, from 2 to 5.

What every chord shares is in the fingering reading.

Transitions & Pivot Fingers

Most common chord transitions from Dadd9

Listen: Dadd9 → Bm · D · Em

Dadd9
Bm
Dadd9
D
Dadd9
Em

Dadd9 → Bm01

Pivot / Anchor Finger:2 shared positions

Stay in place

string 4, fret 4
string 2, fret 3

Move

string 5, fret 2
string 3, fret 4
string 1, fret 2

Dadd9 → D02

Pivot / Anchor Finger:1 finger stays

Stay in place

finger 1: string 3, fret 2

Move

finger 3: string 2, fret 3
finger 2: string 1, fret 2

Dadd9 → Em03

Pivot / Anchor Finger:Full shape change

No finger is shared: place the bass on string 5 first, then the rest of the shape.

Move

finger 1: string 5, fret 2
finger 2: string 4, fret 2

Dadd9 in every key

Dadd9 sits in the scale of 6 keys.

Main shape at a glance

Difficulty: 3/5
Highest fret: 5
Frets the hand covers: 4
Barre: No
Strings that ring: 5/6
Fretting fingers: 4

Major keys

Minor keys

Dadd9 on other instruments

PianoThe same notes on the keyboard.All togetherHear guitar, piano, bass and violin together.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about the chord (Dadd9)

The questions that come up most when playing this chord

Which strings are played and which are muted in the Dadd9 chord?

To play the Dadd9 chord on guitar, only 5 strings are played, from string 5 to string 1. Muted strings must be gently dampened with the fleshy side of a fretting finger to prevent dissonance.

What is the root bass note of the Dadd9 chord and on which string is it located?

The primary bass note of the Dadd9 chord is its root note: D. In standard guitar tuning (EADGBe), this bass note is located on string 5 at fret 5.

When strumming or fingerpicking, strike this string first.

What notes make up the Dadd9 chord and what is its formula?

The Dadd9 chord is constructed using the 1 - 3 - 5 - 9 formula (Major Added Ninth). Its constituent pitches are D, F#, A, E.

How do you prevent the Dadd9 chord from buzzing or sounding muted?

To prevent the Dadd9 chord from buzzing or sounding muted, press the strings using the tips of your fingers at a strict 90-degree hammer angle. Position each finger immediately behind the fret wire with your thumb centered behind the neck.

Study sheet · High resolution

Official Dadd9 chord diagram

Dadd9 guitar chord diagram with fingering for fingers 1 to 4

Download HD sheet

Thanks for studying with CifraLab

If this chord helped you, support us with a coffee on Ko-fi.

Buy a coffee

Other chords in the D family:

Chord D Chord Db Chord Dm Chord D7 Chord Db7 Chord Dmaj7 Chord Dbmaj7 Chord Dm7