Hey there I’ve got another question in my mind about the add9 chords cause there’s no info about them and also is there a difference between a C major 9 and C add 9
or are they the same correct me if I’m wrong
They’re not quite the same.
Ninth Chords
All ninth chords will have a 7th. The chord formula generally goes…
1, 3, 5, 7, 9
That would be a major 9 chord.
It could be a minor 9 where the 3rd and 7th are flat…
1, b3, 5, b7, 9
There are others you will come across that may have some naming inconsistences. You might see something like minor major 9 which would be..
1, b3, 5, 7, 9
This is the same as a major ninth but with a flat (minor) 3rd. As the chords become more complex, some people will give them different names or think about them differently depending on context.
Add 9 chords
Add 9 chords are when the 9th is added to a chord with no 7th. This is nearly always when added to the triad. For instance…
1,3,5 = major triad
1,3,5,9 = Add 9
1,b3,5 = minor triad
1,b3,5,9 minor add 9
So for example, C major is a triad with the notes.. C E G
C add9 is .. C E G D
C minor is C Eb G
Cm add9 is C Eb G D
You could have a 6/9 chord which would be a major 6th with added 9th.
You could have others, something like a Sus4 add9 but it all becomes confusing. For instance.
C sus 4
Formula 1,4,5
Notes C F G
Add the 9 to that, we get C D F G. We could call this a Csus4/9
We could also call it a G7sus4 eg…
G7 = G B D F (1,3,5,b7)
G7 sus4 = G C D F
So sometimes it depends on context, sometimes it depends on each person’s own interpretation and sometimes we just don’t waste time worrying about it. Theory can get a bit too pedantic at times.
In short, an add 9 is typically a four note chord without a seventh.
