Badd9 chord on guitar

Badd9 is B, D♯, F♯ and C♯. The usual shape is 7-4-4-6-4-7. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

How to play Badd9 on guitar

Shape 1, 7-4-4-6-4-7, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

1. Index finger lies flat over the 4 strings from the A string to the B string, just behind the 4th fret wire.
2. C♯: middle finger, 6th fret of the G string.
3. B: ring finger, 7th fret of the low E string.
4. B: pinky finger, 7th fret of the high E string.

• Only part of the finger needs to press here, so flatten just the tip section across those strings and keep the rest of the hand relaxed.
• This shape uses your pinky. It feels weak at first; press with the tip and let the finger stay curved.
• The shape stretches across four frets. Bring your thumb lower behind the neck to open the hand up.

Other ways to play Badd9

• x-14-13-11-14-x: movable shape at the 11th fret, medium. This is the open Aadd9 shape with a barre behind it, root on the 5th string.
• x-2-1-4-2-x: movable shape, medium. A small shape for quick changes and a lighter sound.
• x-x-9-8-7-9: movable shape at the 7th fret, medium. A small shape for quick changes and a lighter sound.

Playing Badd9 with a capo

A capo turns an open chord into Badd9: capo on the 7th fret and play the open Eadd9 shape (0-2-4-1-0-0). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Changing from Badd9 to the chords around it

Songs rarely hold Badd9 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

• E (IV in B major): 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. E on guitar
• F♯ (V in B major): 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. F♯ on guitar
• G♯m (vi in B major): 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. G♯m on guitar

Badd9 is B major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. Badd9 keeps the major sound and adds sparkle, which makes it a drop-in replacement for B in quiet passages. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

A short Badd9 drill

Before strumming, play 7-4-4-6-4-7 note by note: B then C♯ then F♯ then C♯ then D♯ then B. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Then switch to x-14-13-11-14-x and back four times without looking at your hand.

Keys and progressions with Badd9

Badd9 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: Badd9 on piano and Badd9 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Next to try on guitar

• B
• B9
• Bsus2
• Bmaj7

Other add 9 chords

• Cadd9
• C♯add9
• Dadd9
• E♭add9
• Eadd9
• Fadd9
• F♯add9
• Gadd9
• A♭add9
• Aadd9
• B♭add9

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes B, D♯, F♯ and C♯ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026. Print this chord