F♭6 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♭6 chord is a major sixth chord built on the root note F♭. Its notes are F♭, A♭, C♭ and D♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as E6.
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
- F♭ · A♭ · C♭ · D♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 9
- Note
- F♭
- Quality
- Major 6
- Symbol
- F♭6
F♭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 F♭6 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♭, index finger on A♭, middle finger on C♭ and little finger on D♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♭ and D♭ are black keys and F♭ and C♭ are white, the keys you'd normally call E and B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F♭1
- A♭3
- C♭5
- D♭6
F♭6 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♭6 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 6 and 1 ring open.
F♭ · A♭ · C♭ · D♭
Try F♭6 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F♭6 chord notes
Also known as E6
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♭(Fb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 6 | Major sixth | 9 | D♭(Db) |
How to use the F♭6 chord
The F♭6 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major sixth. Start at the root F♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♭, A♭, C♭ and D♭. 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 F♭6 differs from similar chords
F♭6 and F♭maj7 both add one note to F♭, but the sixth sits a whole step below the major seventh and makes no dissonance with the root. F♭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 F♭6 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key F♭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 F♭6 chord?
- The F♭6 chord contains F♭, A♭, C♭ and D♭ (Fb, Ab, Cb and Db in plain text).
- Is the F♭6 chord major or minor?
- F♭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 F♭6 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♭, A♭, C♭ and D♭ 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♭ and D♭ are black keys and F♭ and C♭ are white, the keys you'd normally call E and B.
- How do you play F♭6 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 6 and 1 ring open.
- What is another name for the F♭6 chord?
- F♭6 is enharmonically equivalent to E6. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.