C♯add9 chord on guitar

C♯add9 is C♯, E♯, G♯ and D♯. The usual shape is x-4-3-1-4-x. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

How to play C♯add9 on guitar

Shape 1, x-4-3-1-4-x, reading from the low E string on the left:

1. Index finger: G string, 1st fret (G♯).
2. Middle finger: D string, 3rd fret (E♯).
3. Ring finger: A string, 4th fret (C♯).
4. Pinky: B string, 4th fret (D♯).
5. Keep the low E and high E strings quiet by touching them lightly with a fretting finger.

• This shape uses your pinky. It feels weak at first; press with the tip and let the finger stay curved.
• A four-fret stretch: drop your wrist a little and point your thumb up the back of the neck.
• Only four strings sound, so strum from the string marked first and aim your pick at the treble strings.

Other ways to play C♯add9

• 9-6-6-8-6-9: partial barre shape at the 6th fret, medium. A different set of strings gives a different color of the same chord.
• x-x-11-10-9-11: movable shape at the 9th fret, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.

Playing C♯add9 with a capo

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Cadd9 shape (x-3-2-0-3-0). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

Moving between C♯add9 and its neighbours

These are the changes you'll meet most often with C♯add9, using the first shape of each chord.

• F♯ (IV in D♭ major): C♯add9 (x-4-3-1-4-x) to F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2): your ring finger stays put, the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the middle finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, your pinky finger lands on the D string, 4th fret. Shared note: C♯. F♯ on guitar
• A♭ (V in D♭ major): C♯add9 (x-4-3-1-4-x) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 5th fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 6th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. The two chords share G♯ and D♯, which is why the change sounds smooth. A♭ on guitar
• B♭m (vi in D♭ major): C♯add9 (x-4-3-1-4-x) to B♭m (x-1-3-3-2-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the B string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the D string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. C♯ and E♯ carry over from one chord to the other. B♭m on guitar

C♯add9 is C♯ major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. C♯add9 keeps the major sound and adds sparkle, which makes it a drop-in replacement for C♯ in quiet passages. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Getting C♯add9 under your fingers

Before strumming, play x-4-3-1-4-x note by note: C♯ then E♯ then G♯ then D♯. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Next, alternate x-4-3-1-4-x and 9-6-6-8-6-9, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

Written D♭add9, it's the same chord with the same frets.

Where C♯add9 shows up

C♯add9 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: C♯add9 on piano and C♯add9 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Close to C♯add9

• C♯
• C♯9
• C♯sus2
• C♯maj7

Other add 9 chords

• Cadd9
• Dadd9
• E♭add9
• Eadd9
• Fadd9
• F♯add9
• Gadd9
• A♭add9
• Aadd9
• B♭add9
• Badd9

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