A minor, added ninth
How to play Am(add9) — Minor, added ninth
Am(add9) (Minor, added ninth)A · C · E · B
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
A minor, added ninth — notes and structure
The Am(add9) chord is a minor chord with an added ninth for extra colour and tension.
The Am(add9) minor, added ninth consists of the notes A, C, E, B. Its interval structure is R–3–5–9 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
Am(add9) stacks a minor third (C), a perfect fifth (E) and a ninth (B) above the root A.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Am(add9) — an open-position shape reaching up to the 7th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
What key is Am(add9) in?
Every note of Am(add9) belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- C major — the vi chord
- G major — the ii chord
- A minor — the i chord
- E minor — the iv chord
Chords that go with Am(add9)
In C major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Am(add9) next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the A minor, added ninth chord?
- The Am(add9) chord contains the notes A, C, E, B. It is a minor chord with an added ninth for extra colour and tension.
- How many ways can you play Am(add9) on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Am(add9) a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
- What key does Am(add9) belong to?
- Am(add9) fits C major (where it is the vi chord), G major (where it is the ii chord), A minor (where it is the i chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.