To play A6 on the guitar, you need the notes A, C#, E, F#. Its first guitar voicing is a barre chord at fret 2: low E string at fret 5 (ring finger); A string open; D string at fret 4 (middle finger); G string at fret 2 (index finger); B string at fret 2 (index finger); high e string open. This guide covers the major 6th chord in full: what is in it, how to play it cleanly on the guitar, where it fits musically and how to practise it.
What notes are in the A6 chord?
The A6 chord is a major 6th chord, and its notes are fixed: A, C#, E, F#. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root A, so you can see the structure of A6 at a glance. On the guitar, the barre chord of A6 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| A | Root |
| C# | 3 |
| E | 5 |
| F# | 6 |
The root is A, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in A6 are 3, 5, 6. Once you know the intervals, you can build A6 from any root by counting the same semitone steps, which is how the chord works in every key. On the guitar, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
A6 sounds sweet and relaxed, the sound of swing, early rock and roll and country ballads. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the guitar, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, F# in A6.
Comparing A6 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, 6th against major 7th: A6 adds the 6th F#; the major 7th chord adds G# instead. The 6th sounds warmer and more old-fashioned; the 7th sounds dreamier. Play both chords slowly, one after the other, and notice which note moves. Naming that note out loud while you play is the fastest way to learn the difference. On the guitar, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, F# in A6.
How to play A6 on guitar
On the guitar, A6 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — A, C#, E, F# — in a different place on the neck. The first voicing below is the one to learn first, and the alternatives cover the rest of the neck. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
The barre chord is the voicing to learn if you want A6 in around fret 2: low E string at fret 5 (ring finger); A string open; D string at fret 4 (middle finger); G string at fret 2 (index finger); B string at fret 2 (index finger); high e string open. It barres across strings 4 to 5 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 4 to 5 evenly at fret 2, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in A6 — A, C#, E, F# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing puts A6 in around fret 2: low E string at fret 5 (ring finger); A string at fret 4 (middle finger); D string at fret 4 (middle finger); G string at fret 2 (index finger); B string at fret 5 (little finger); high e string open. The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 2 to fret 5, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in A6 — A, C#, E, F# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play A6 is the barre chord, in around fret 2: low E string at fret 5 (middle finger); A string open; D string at fret 2 (index finger); G string at fret 2 (index finger); B string at fret 2 (index finger); high e string at fret 2 (index finger). It barres across strings 3 to 6 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 3 to 6 evenly at fret 2, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in A6 — A, C#, E, F# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of A6 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide A6 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of A6 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into A6 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the guitar, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, F# in A6.
A short practice routine for A6 on the guitar: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above A and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Guitar Chord Finder to see the diagram for A6 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make A6 sound wrong on the guitar, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Using it as a dominant. A6 is a tonic colour, not a dominant. It does not pull to a resolution the way a dominant 7th does. On the guitar, the barre chord of A6 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Voicing it too low. The 6th sits close to the 5th and 7th in low octaves and can sound muddy. Spread the notes out. On the guitar, the barre chord of A6 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Barre collapsing on the high strings. In a barre voicing of A6, the high strings are the ones that buzz first, because the index finger presses hardest near the thumb. If the top notes of A6 sound dead, roll the barring finger slightly toward the fret and press from the arm, not from squeezing the neck. On the guitar, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, F# in A6.
Confusing the 6th with the 7th. The added note here is F#, a whole step above the 5th, not the 7th. Play G# and you have a different chord. On the guitar, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in A6.
Where A6 is used
A6 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of D major, the key of E major, the key of A major. a tonic colour in swing, jazz and country, where the 6th replaces the 7th as the added note. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward D major, the key a perfect fourth above A, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where A6 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the guitar, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in A6.
Because A6 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain A triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try A6 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the guitar, the barre chord of A6 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in A6 on piano, A6 on ukulele, A6 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the A major scale and the A minor pentatonic scale. Learning A6 on the guitar and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — A, C#, E, F# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising A6
A short worked example makes A6 concrete. Play the four-chord progression D – A – Bm – G in D major, the key A6 most often resolves toward: D – A – Bm – G. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how A6 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on A6 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the guitar, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in A6.
For a second exercise, play A6 and then the chord a fourth above A, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move A6 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing A6 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: A, C#, E, F#. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the guitar, the barre chord of A6 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between A6 and Amaj7?
A6 adds the 6th F#; Amaj7 adds the major 7th G#. The 6th chord sounds warmer and more old-fashioned, the maj7 sounds dreamier and more modern. On the guitar, check the first voicing above for that note.
How do you play A6 on the guitar?
The first voicing is the barre chord: frets 5–0–4–2–2–0, fingers 3–0–2–1–1–0, on the guitar. That voicing uses the notes A, C#, E, F#, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for A6, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is A6 hard to play on the guitar?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of A6 on the guitar is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of A6 on the guitar?
The barre chord is the easiest voicing listed for A6 on the guitar: frets 5–0–4–2–2–0, fingers 3–0–2–1–1–0. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.
What does the 6 mean in A6?
The 6 means the 6th note of the scale, F#, is added to the major triad. A6 contains A, C#, E, F#: root, major 3rd, perfect 5th and the added 6th. On the guitar, check the first voicing above for that note.