G♯6 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The G♯6 chord is a major sixth chord built on the root note G♯. Its notes are G♯, B♯, D♯ and E♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♭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
- G♯ · B♯ · D♯ · E♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 9
- Note
- G♯
- Quality
- Major 6
- Symbol
- G♯6
G♯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 G♯6 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on G♯, index finger on B♯, middle finger on D♯ and little finger on E♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♯ and D♯ are black keys and B♯ and E♯ are white, the keys you'd normally call C and F. 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.
- G♯1
- B♯3
- D♯5
- E♯6
G♯6 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, G♯6 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
G♯ · B♯ · D♯ · E♯
Try G♯6 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
G♯6 chord notes
Also known as A♭6
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | G♯(G#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | B♯(B#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | D♯(D#) | |
| 6 | Major sixth | 9 | E♯(E#) |
How to use the G♯6 chord
The G♯6 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major sixth. Start at the root G♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: G♯, B♯, D♯ and E♯. 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 G♯6 differs from similar chords
G♯6 and G♯maj7 both add one note to G♯, but the sixth sits a whole step below the major seventh and makes no dissonance with the root. G♯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 G♯6 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key G♯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 G♯6 chord?
- The G♯6 chord contains G♯, B♯, D♯ and E♯ (G#, B#, D# and E# in plain text).
- Is the G♯6 chord major or minor?
- G♯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 G♯6 on piano?
- Place your fingers on G♯, B♯, D♯ and E♯ 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 G♯ and D♯ are black keys and B♯ and E♯ are white, the keys you'd normally call C and F. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play G♯6 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
- What is another name for the G♯6 chord?
- G♯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.