ok, so I konw these questions normally turn out with intuitive sort of obvious answers but i thought id ask anyway

many times when im reading some sort of tablature, i come across something Cadd9, and every time, its the same fingering as C2 which seems like the more appropriate way to write it.

i was hoping one of u could link me to a good FAQ about this sort of thing, cause i understand it about 50%, just the (add) chords, and other names for chords, it just seems like add9 chords are used so often i might as well learn all the fingerings, and call them 2 chords, which is what i thought i was doing before.


i know its an easy question but what im really asking for is a good link to a complete explanation, otherwise ill be tangled up like before with like C->G is a 5th, unless ur going down, then its a 4th etc... which im still sort of confused about but it doenst really matter as much as this

it's a triad with an "added" ninth, hence the name

just get to a piano and practice your intervals, they make more sense on the piano than they do on the guitar, and once you learn them on the piano you'll be able to easily understand them on the guitar.

While this advice is good, I do not recommend it at all.

You get stressed enough trying to learn guitar - you wanna grab a Piano and learn that too?! xD

using and learning triads, you learn you could play a chord and play the same chord differently even with the same root but itsthe same thing. so if some chords don't seem to be tipical of what you seen or if some look the same as another, its all degrees and chord lay out. you can spend hours doing a simple C but make it harder and have to build it everywhere on your neck. do it for all chord and degrees
triads and chords- know the name and figure out the notes, just got to remember the formula or such. brake it down to triads, root (c) third (e) fifth (f) and ninth (d) to make an add9. basic c chord 1-3-5 + a9th so thus....cadd9
their is 4 distance or notes you now know c d e f, those 4 notes but you could be using 6 all string, when you learn what your playing you find notes repeat in thick chords. seems hard but not.

i understand this, what im saying is why dont they just call them C2, every add9 chord i see is just a 2chord, its like theres never any differnece, and im sort of lost because at first ppl were telling me like G13 or w/e is not the same as Gadd13, and that makes sense, but it seems like every time C2 and Cadd2, and alot of other roots are identical

C2 is C+D. (C + the 2nd note in the scale.) D is also the 9th note in the scale. C2 is not the same as Cadd9 but rather an inversion or variation of the chord Cadd9.

ty for trying to help but i think many of u are missing the reason why im confused..

ive read somewhere that chords like C9, is root/3rd/5th/b7/9 where as Cadd9 is C + D, and i cant find it anymore.. im gonna do some research so as not to bother u guys with noob questions. I understand also that these can be played all over the neck, and thats exactly why im asking, because sometimes id prefer to play a different C2 than the one they have listed, and i understand substitutions happen all the time and really shudnt be a big problem but thats not the point.\




they can be identical tho right?

x32030 is C2 and Cadd9 right? C E G D E = Cadd9? or Cadd2? or C2? see why im confused now?

x32030 is Cadd9, (and add 10 too!) C major is C,E,G. When a Chord is accompanied by a number, you can add the chordal extensions to reach the interval indicated. C9 would be C,E,G,B(b),D. Cadd9 would be C + the ninth note of the scale so C,E,G,D. C2 however should be, C,D,E,G. Although the letter is the same in C2 and C9, the harmony created by each version is different. There's a lot more tension created by playing say, 52xxxx vs 5xx3xx. The reason why inversions are accepted as the same chords on a guitar is because of the physical layout of the guitar. Playing minor 2nds is very tricky if you're not using open strings. E is impossible to play as Root, Third, Fifth in first position, using the 6th string, unless you re-tune your guitar since the Third in the Key is only available on the same string as the root! No one write E581012OV8, it's just widely accepted as "E". Mind you the triad appears at 8,10,12.

I think a more complicated question is why are there chords labeled E13 when there are only 12 notes in the chromatic scale!?!?