Green Belt: Level 4 Guitar Lessons

Moveable 6th Chords

This lesson discusses the 6th chord, and shows some of the most common forms, all of them with the root on the bottom.

The Formula

The 6th chord is technically a four-tone chord, a major triad with a major 6th added a top. The formula is root - major 3rd - perfect 5th - major 6th. Because of the major 3rd, the chord has an overall major flavor, and because of the major 6th, there is a moderate tension that wants to be resolved to the perfect 5th.

How to Use 6th Chords

6th chords are a good choice in blues, jazz and popular progressions, where a I or IV chord might be used. 6th chords also sound delightful in progressions with 7th chords and 9th chords. A 6th chord is also a very popular ending chord, when you want the 6th note to ring in the mind of the listener long after the song is over.

The chord shapes below are moveable, which means that you can play them all over the fretboard. Learn them all by memory and by ear. The different voicings are quite pleasing in their own right. This is because some of the voicings are inverted, or might even omit the 3rd or the 5th.

In all the chords, the root is the lowest note, so you can know the name of the chord by knowing the lowest note.

Root on 6th String	Root on 5th String	Root on 4th String
Root on 6th String	Root on 5th String	Root on 4th String
Root on 6th String	Root on 5th String	Root on 4th String

Exercises:

For a mental exercise, pick the chords apart so that you can identify the 3rd, the 5th and the 6th degrees relative to the root. This will make it easier to remember the chords, and also hear the subtle differences in the voicings. Note that the chords that are constructed in the order of root - 3rd - 5th - 6th are the hardest to finger. This is typical of chords with more tones than 3. Rearranging the order of the tones for easier fingering becomes the rule, rather than the exception.

Learn the shapes and play them in combinations with each other, concentrate on changing to and from these chords comfortable and noiselessly.

• A6 - Ab6 - G6 - Ab6 - A6
• G6 - C6 - G6 - Am7 - G6
• C6 - Am - C6 - Am
• A6 - EM7 - G6 - DM7
• A - AM7 - A7 - A6 - D - DM7 - D7 - D6

Try to play the same 6th chords in all possible voicings.

Try some progressions of your own!