Badd9 chord on piano
Badd9 is B, D♯, F♯ and C♯. B is the white key just right of the group of three black keys. Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · B–D♯–F♯–C♯ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
How to play Badd9 on piano
From B, go 4 half steps up to D♯, 3 half steps up to F♯ then 7 half steps up to C♯. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on B, 2 on D♯, 3 on F♯ and 5 on C♯.
- Left hand: 5 on B, 3 on D♯, 2 on F♯ and 1 on C♯.
- On the keyboard it's white, black, black and black keys.
Two ways to voice Badd9
- root position: B–D♯–F♯–C♯. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- close voicing: B–C♯–D♯–F♯. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
The close voicing folds the ninth down next to the root, which fits under one hand; the spread voicing sounds wider.
Badd9 chord changes
These are the changes you'll meet most often with Badd9, using the first shape of each chord.
- E (IV in B major): 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 on piano
- F♯ (V in B major): 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♯ on piano
- G♯m (vi in B major): 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 on piano
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. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Getting Badd9 under your fingers
Start with a broken chord, B D♯ F♯ C♯ F♯ D♯ B, then play it solid.
The keys of Badd9
Badd9 is a add 9 chord, 1–3–5–9 from B. Root position, from the bottom: how Badd9 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| D♯ | black key | RH 2 · LH 3 | major third |
| F♯ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| C♯ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | ninth |
Where Badd9 shows up
Badd9 on guitar and ukulele
Switching instruments? Try Badd9 on ukulele or Badd9 on guitar, or compare them on the Badd9 chord page.
Next to try on piano
Other add 9 chords
Badd9 on piano: questions
What notes are in Badd9 on piano?
B, D♯, F♯ and C♯: B (white key), D♯ (black key), F♯ (black key) and C♯ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play Badd9 on piano?
Press B, D♯, F♯ and C♯ together (3 black, 1 white). Right hand: 1 on B, 2 on D♯, 3 on F♯ and 5 on C♯.
What are the inversions of Badd9?
Badd9 is usually played in root position (B–D♯–F♯–C♯) or as a close voicing (B–C♯–D♯–F♯).
What does Badd9 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, black and black keys.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes B, D♯, F♯ and C♯ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.