How do I add or leave a note out of a chord?

Use the Add row to bring in a single colour tone - like the 9 in Cadd9 - and the Omit row to leave a note out, whether that's the 3rd, the 5th, or an upper note your chord doesn't strictly need. Both rows sit in the chord builder, just below Alterations.

The Add row - bring in a colour tone

The Add row holds five degrees: 2, 4, 9, 11, and 13. Tap one and that note joins your chord on its own, without dragging the lower extensions along - so tapping 9 here gives you Cadd9 (the triad plus the 9), not C9 (which would also pull in the 7th).

There's no 6 on this row on purpose. An added 6th is the same chord as the 6 button on the Extensions row, so you pick that one up there instead.

On a sus2 or sus4 chord, the 2 and 4 are switched off. A sus chord is already built around the 2nd or the 4th, so adding them again would only re-spell the same chord. 9, 11, and 13 stay available on any chord.

The Omit row - leave a note out

The Omit row always shows 3 and 5, so you can drop the third or the fifth whenever you like. Tap 3 to remove the third - the chord stops clearly saying major or minor. Tap 5 to remove the fifth, which is common in fuller chords where the fifth is the easiest note to spare. On a sus2 or sus4 chord there's no third to begin with, so 3 is greyed out.

The row grows with your chord. As soon as a chord carries upper notes you might want to thin out, those degrees appear too - build a C13 and the Omit row becomes 3 5 7 9 11, letting you lift out any of the stacked notes. The chord keeps its name (C13), but the note you leave out is dropped from the actual shapes - much like the optional notes Fretscape already marks in some voicings. Remove or change the extension that brought those notes in, and any omit that no longer applies clears itself automatically.

One pairing isn't allowed: the 5th can't be both altered and omitted. Picking ♭5 or ♯5 clears an omit 5, and omitting the 5th clears a ♭5 or ♯5 - whichever you choose last wins.

Add row vs the Extensions row

It's worth knowing the difference between the two, because both carry a 9, an 11, and a 13:

• Extensions stack. A 9 there builds a full C9 that already contains the 7th - see how extensions stack.
• Add doesn't stack. A 9 here gives you Cadd9 - the triad plus that one note.

For altered colour tones like add♭9 or add♯9, use the Alterations row instead - see how to add altered notes.

Why you'd want any of this

A few common reasons:

• Voice leading. Leaving out the 5th can make room for a smoother shape; leaving out the 3rd can avoid clashing with a melody or keep the chord deliberately open.
• Stretches. Skipping a note can free up your hand for a shape that would otherwise be too wide.
• Specific chord names. add9 and (omit5) are part of real chord notation, and Fretscape needs to know which version you want.
• Ambiguity on purpose. A chord without the 3rd doesn't commit to major or minor - handy for the open, less-decided sound of a power chord.