As the tonic (I)B♭ major
Home. The loop leaves B♭6 and keeps coming back to it.
B♭6 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B♭6 chord is a major sixth chord built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, D, F and G. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♯6.
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Quality
Short answer
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
- B♭ · D · F · G
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 9
- Note
- B♭
- Quality
- Major 6
- Symbol
- B♭6
B♭6 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play B♭6 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B♭, index finger on D, middle finger on F and little finger on G. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard B♭ is a black key and D, F and G are white. 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.
- B♭1
- D3
- F5
- G6
B♭6 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B♭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.
B♭ · D · F · G
Try B♭6 on the virtual piano
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B♭6 chord notes
Also known as A♯6
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | D | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F | |
| 6 | Major sixth | 9 | G |
How to use the B♭6 chord
The B♭6 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major sixth. Start at the root B♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: B♭, D, F and G. 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 B♭6 differs from similar chords
B♭6 and B♭maj7 both add one note to B♭, but the sixth sits a whole step below the major seventh and makes no dissonance with the root. B♭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 B♭6 is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the B♭6 chord?
- The B♭6 chord contains B♭, D, F and G (Bb, D, F and G in plain text).
- Is the B♭6 chord major or minor?
- B♭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 B♭6 on piano?
- Place your fingers on B♭, D, F and G 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 B♭ is a black key and D, F and G are white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play B♭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 B♭6 chord?
- B♭6 is enharmonically equivalent to A♯6. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.