6th Guitar Chords

All 6th chords, formulas and charts...

6th guitar chords - consist of a major triad plus an added major 6th interval - it has a root, a major 3rd, a perfect 5th and a major 6th.

Put simply, a 6th chord is a major chord with an added 6th - a major 6th chord.

The symbol for a 6th chord is simly 6, e.g., a C major 6th chord would be written as C6.

The chord formula for a 6th chord is 1 - 3 - 5 - 6

The featured song for this session is Walk On The Wild Side by Lou Reed. It is a great introduction to playing a 6th chord, and will give you a handy insight into how a 6 chord can influence the overall sound and feel of a song.

Example... Calculating B6

6th chords consist of the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th notes of a Major Scale
B chords are built around the B major scale.
B major scale reads: B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A#
Formula for a 6 chord = 1 - 3 - 5 - 6
Substitute notes into the formula (1=B, 3=D#, 5=F#, 6=G#)
The B6 chord reads: B - D# - F# - G#

6th (6) Chord Table

Chord (6)	A	A#	B♭	B	C	C#	D♭	D	D#	E♭	E	F	F#	G♭	G	G#	A♭
Root	A	A#	B♭	B	C	C#	D♭	D	D#	E♭	E	F	F#	G♭	G	G#	A♭
Major 3rd	C#	Cx(D)	D	D#	E	E#(F)	F	F#	Fx(G)	G	G#	A	A#	B♭	B	B#(C)	C
Perfect 5th	E	E#(F)	F	F#	G	G#	A♭	A	A#	B♭	B	C	C#	D♭	D	D#	E♭
Major 6th	F#	Fx(G)	G	G#	A	A#	B♭	B	B#(C)	C	C#	D	D#	E♭	E	E#(F)	F

Chord Charts:

A 6 - C 6

Free Download: 6th Guitar Chords - Part 1

6th Chord Charts:

C#6 / Db6 - E 6

Free Download: 6th Chords - Part 2

6th Chord Charts:

F 6 - G#6 / Ab6

Free Download: 6th Chords - Part 3

I hope you have enjoyed this section on 6th Guitar Chords. Although 6th chords are not used very often in modern music, they do provide variation and interest.

Try this - | A | A6 | A | A6 | D | Dsus4 | A | A6 |

Play this in 4:4 time, at a moderate tempo. Each chord is to be played for the whole bar. It's an interesting sound and can be a great way to finish a song in any particular key. Next time you play a tune in any given key, try finishing the song with the key 6th chord. See what you think...