Cadd9 chord on ukulele

Cadd9 is C, E, G and D. The easiest shape is 0-2-0-3. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

0-2-0-3 · open · easy

Notes: C · E · G · D
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · 9
First shape: 0-2-0-3

How to play Cadd9 on ukulele

Shape 1, 0-2-0-3, reading from the G string on the left:

Put your index finger on the C string at the 2nd fret, which is D.
Put your middle finger on the A string at the 3rd fret, which is C.
The open G and E strings add G and E; don't touch them.

Arch your fingers so their tips come down vertically. That keeps them off the open strings, which have to ring for the chord to sound complete.
On ukulele you strum all four strings. The top G string is tuned higher than the C, which is why ukulele chords sound bright and close.

Other ways to play Cadd9

7-7-8-7: movable shape at the 7th fret, medium. A high voicing for when the low version is taken by another instrument.

Cadd9 chord changes

These are the changes you'll meet most often with Cadd9, using the first shape of each chord.

F (IV in C major): Cadd9 (0-2-0-3) to F (2-0-1-0): move the index finger to the E string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret. Listen for C, which stays put while the rest moves. F on ukulele
G (V in C major): Cadd9 (0-2-0-3) to G (0-2-3-2): your index finger stays put, move the middle finger to the A string, 2nd fret, the ring finger comes down on the E string, 3rd fret. The two chords share G and D, which is why the change sounds smooth. G on ukulele
Am (vi in C major): Cadd9 (0-2-0-3) to Am (2-0-0-0): the index finger slides across to the G string at the same fret. Shared notes: C and E. Am on ukulele

Cadd9 is C major with the ninth (the note a whole step above the root, an octave up) added. All 4 notes of Cadd9 fit on the ukulele's four strings. On ukulele you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Getting Cadd9 under your fingers

Before strumming, play 0-2-0-3 note by note: G then D then E then C. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Next, alternate 0-2-0-3 and 7-7-8-7, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

Where Cadd9 shows up

Cadd9 on guitar and piano

The same notes on another instrument: Cadd9 on guitar and Cadd9 on piano. This page puts all three side by side.

Close to Cadd9

Other add 9 chords

Cadd9 on ukulele: questions

What notes are in Cadd9 on ukulele?

C, E, G and D. In the 0-2-0-3 shape the strings play G (G string, open), D (C string), E (E string, open) and C (A string).

What's the easiest way to play Cadd9 on ukulele?

0-2-0-3, shape 1 above. No barre: some strings ring open.

Is Cadd9 a barre chord on ukulele?

Not in its common form: 0-2-0-3 needs no barre.

Which string does Cadd9 start on?

In the 0-2-0-3 shape the lowest string you play is the G string, open, which is G, the perfect fifth.

Every shape above plays only C, E, G and D, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.