G# or A♭ Add9
4th PositionCompact voicing on the top four strings — index on B fret 4, middle on G fret 5, ring on D fret 6, pinky on high e fret 6. Spells A♭, C, E♭, B♭ with no barre. Mute the low E and A strings.
G# or A♭ Add9
4th Fret (E-shape)E-shape moveable add9 with the root on the low E string at fret 4 — index barres fret 4, ring covers A and D at fret 6, middle on G fret 5, pinky on high e fret 6. A full six-string voicing.
G# or A♭ Add9
11th FretA-shape moveable add9 rooted on G# at fret 11 — barre fret 11 with the index, then reach D fret 13, G fret 15, and B fret 13. Mute the low E. Fully moveable to any root.
Think A♭, not G#
This chord is usually written A♭add9. The shapes and sound are identical to G#add9 — only the spelling changes.
Start with the compact shape
The x-x-6-5-4-6 top-string form needs no barre and is the easiest way into this chord.
No open strings
A♭add9 has no open-string voicing in standard tuning, so every shape is fretted and moveable.
Use the E-shape
The 4-6-6-5-4-6 E-shape gives a full six-string A♭add9 and is moveable — slide it down to fret 3 for Gadd9.
A bright flat-key colour
In flat keys, swap a plain A♭ major for A♭add9 to add an open, modern shimmer — common in soul and worship.
About the A♭add9 Chord on Guitar
The A♭add9 chord (also written G#add9) is built from four notes: A♭ (the root), C (the major 3rd), E♭ (the perfect 5th), and B♭ (the 9th). It is the A♭ major triad with an added 9th and no 7th — bright and open, with a shimmering colour over a firmly major base. Because none of its notes match open guitar strings, every voicing is fretted and moveable. It is enharmonically identical to G#add9 — same pitch, same shapes, but almost always spelled A♭add9 in flat keys. This page covers three voicings: a compact no-barre top-string form, a full E-shape barre, and a moveable A-shape barre. Every diagram is interactive and playable with acoustic guitar sound.
- 013 G#add9 or A♭add9 chord shapes from intermediate to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04Compact top-string voicing, E-shape barre, and an A-shape moveable form
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the G# or A♭ Add9 chord and their role in the major scale.
Every add9 chord follows this same formula — root, major third, perfect fifth, and the major 9th added on top (no 7th).