A♯6 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A♯6 chord is a major sixth chord built on the root note A♯. Its notes are A♯, C𝄪, E♯ and F𝄪. It's enharmonically the same chord as B♭6.
Major sixth chords sound bright and settled without the pull of a seventh. Adding a major sixth to a major triad gives a warm, slightly retro colour that filled swing bands and fifties pop, and it still ends a song beautifully.
- Notes
- A♯ · C𝄪 · E♯ · F𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 9
- Note
- A♯
- Quality
- Major 6
- Symbol
- A♯6
A♯6 on piano
4 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A♯6 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A♯, index finger on C𝄪, middle finger on E♯ and little finger on F𝄪. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♯ is a black key and C𝄪, E♯ and F𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call D, F and G. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A♯1
- C𝄪3
- E♯5
- F𝄪6
A♯6 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A♯6 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Strings 4 and 3 ring open. Don't play string 6.
A♯ · C𝄪 · E♯ · F𝄪
Try A♯6 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
A♯6 chord notes
Also known as B♭6
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♯(A#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | C𝄪(C##) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E♯(E#) | |
| 6 | Major sixth | 9 | F𝄪(F##) |
How to use the A♯6 chord
The A♯6 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major sixth. Start at the root A♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A♯, C𝄪, E♯ and F𝄪. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Major sixth chords work as a softer substitute for a major triad, especially as a final chord where a maj7 would sound too jazzy. Swing, rockabilly, bossa nova and country all lean on them.
How A♯6 differs from similar chords
A♯6 and A♯maj7 both add one note to A♯, but the sixth sits a whole step below the major seventh and makes no dissonance with the root. A♯6 has exactly the same notes as the minor seventh chord a minor third below it, so the bass note decides which of the two you hear.
Where A♯6 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key A♯6 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A♯6 chord?
- The A♯6 chord contains A♯, C𝄪, E♯ and F𝄪 (A#, C##, E# and F## in plain text).
- Is the A♯6 chord major or minor?
- A♯6 is a major sixth chord. Major sixth chords sound bright and settled without the pull of a seventh. Adding a major sixth to a major triad gives a warm, slightly retro colour that filled swing bands and fifties pop, and it still ends a song beautifully.
- How do you play A♯6 on piano?
- Place your fingers on A♯, C𝄪, E♯ and F𝄪 and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard A♯ is a black key and C𝄪, E♯ and F𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call D, F and G. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play A♯6 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Strings 4 and 3 ring open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the A♯6 chord?
- A♯6 is enharmonically equivalent to B♭6. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.