Eadd9

E Added 9th — a plain triad plus the ninth — colour without the seventh, clean and contemporary.

The keys
C4C5C6
E – G♯ – B – F♯
What's inside Eadd9
NoteInterval from rootDegree
ERoot1
G♯Major 3rd3
BPerfect 5th5
F♯Major 9th9
Inversions
PositionKeys (low → high)
Root positionE4 – A♭4 – B4 – G♭5
1st inversionA♭4 – B4 – G♭5 – E5
2nd inversionB4 – G♭5 – E5 – A♭5
3rd inversionG♭5 – E5 – A♭5 – B5
A working voicing

Split the chord between two hands the way working players do — a solid shell low down, the colour tones up top:

HandKeys
Left (shell)E2 – B2
Right (colour)A♭4 – G♭5
Where Eadd9 lives

As the I chord

Eadd9 → A → B → Eadd9

The classic I–IV–V–I motion with this chord as home.

In a ii–V–I

G♭m7 → B7 → Eadd9

The strongest cadence in harmony, resolving onto this chord.

Put Eadd9 under your fingers

Hear every voicing, see the keys light up, and drill it in the interactive Chord & Voicing Lab.

Open the Chord & Voicing Lab →