The official sheet music for the opening bars of the Eagles' song Hotel California runs thus:

Bm, F#7, Aadd9, E9, G, D, Em7, F#7 and back to Bm.

Most bedroom players (myself included) usually play a simpler sequence thus:

Bm, F#7, A, E, G, D, Em, F#7 and back to Bm.

My question is: How do you play an open Aadd9?

My illustrated guitar chord shape encyclopaedia shows the fingering for an A9, but I suspect that's a different chord altogether. I often come across chords written as something 'add 9' and I never know how to play a chord named that way.

My understanding is that there are root notes, thirds, fifths, sevenths, etc. in any chord, but I can't think where a ninth would come - I thought you shouldn't be able to go beyond eight, although I don't know where I might have got that from. (Needless to say, I'm not a musician as such, just a self taught noodler from many years back).

Help anyone, please?

Been a long time since I picked up my guitar so my memory is a bit rusty.

I think to add a 9 into a chord is the same as adding a 2nd. So for an A9, you need to add a B into the chord. I would just play a normal A and then take my finger off the B string so it is open. Or you could barre it at the 5th fret, play an E shape and then put your little finger on the 2nd fret of the high E string. I think!

Thanks for trying to help here, babelogue!

I have a funny feeling that 'Aadd9' is a different chord to a straight A9, but I might be wrong.

Your explanation of an A9 is spot on when it comes to the fifth fret barred version. The open string version however is rather awkward - at least for me it is - where you place your first finger on the second fret of the D string (E), second finger on the second fret of the B string (C#), the ring finger goes on the third fret of the top E string (G) and - here's where I find it awkward - the pinky goes on the fourth fret of the G string (B). Only the top five strings are played (open bottom E is silent), thus it's possible to play it with a barre across the second fret which leaves second and ring fingers to pick out the other notes of the chord.

The notes really need to ring out with Hotel California, so playing as many chords in the open versions as possible, especially on my 12-string, results in a more authentic sound.