Badd9 chord
Badd9 is B, D♯, F♯ and C♯: 1–3–5–9 built on B. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
7-4-4-6-4-7 · partial barre · medium
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
- First shape
- 7-4-4-6-4-7
Badd9 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · B–D♯–F♯–C♯ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
Badd9 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
4-3-2-4 · movable · medium
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
- First shape
- 4-3-2-4
Where Badd9 usually goes next
Three changes cover most of what Badd9 does in songs.
- Badd9 → E (IV in B major)
Guitar: Badd9 (7-4-4-6-4-7) to E (0-2-2-1-0-0): move the index finger to the G string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the D string, 2nd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. The two chords share B, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: Badd9 to E: play E in 2nd inversion (B–E–G♯) and B stays under the same finger, while D♯ moves up to E and F♯ up to G♯. E - Badd9 → F♯ (V in B major)
Guitar: Badd9 (7-4-4-6-4-7) to F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 4th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share F♯ and C♯, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: Badd9 to F♯: play F♯ in root position (F♯–A♯–C♯) and F♯ and C♯ stay under the same fingers, while D♯ moves up to A♯. F♯ - Badd9 → G♯m (vi in B major)
Guitar: Badd9 (7-4-4-6-4-7) to G♯m (4-6-6-4-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 6th fret, your ring finger lands on the D string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. B and D♯ carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: Badd9 to G♯m: play G♯m in 1st inversion (B–D♯–G♯) and B and D♯ stay under the same fingers, while F♯ moves up to G♯. G♯m
Guitar with a capo: capo 7, Eadd9 shape.
How Badd9 is built
Badd9 is B major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. It keeps the bright major sound and adds a shimmer; guitarists love it because the open shapes ring.
From B, go 4 half steps up to D♯, 3 half steps up to F♯ then 7 half steps up to C♯.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | root | 0 | |
| D♯ | major third | 4 | |
| F♯ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| C♯ | ninth | 14 |
Keys and progressions with Badd9
Badd9 sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
Chords close to Badd9
Chords that share most of their notes with Badd9: B9, F♯sus4, B, Bsus2, E♭m7, D♯m7♭5.
Every B chord
Badd9 chord: questions
What notes are in the Badd9 chord?
B, D♯, F♯ and C♯. Badd9 is built 1–3–5–9 from B: D♯ is the major third, F♯ is the perfect fifth and C♯ is the ninth.
How do you play Badd9 on guitar?
The usual shape is 7-4-4-6-4-7 (partial barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play Badd9 on piano?
Play B, D♯, F♯ and C♯ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. B sits just right of the group of three black keys. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play Badd9 on ukulele?
4-3-2-4 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is Badd9 in?
Badd9 sits outside the seven chords of every major and natural minor key, so expect it as a color or passing chord.
What's the difference between Badd9 and B?
Badd9 is B plus C♯.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.