Sixth chord · C root
C6 chord
- C1
- E3
- G5
- A6
The C sixth chord is built from the notes C, E, G, A. It turns up 13 times in the 80 songs on this site, including Bye Bye Blackbird and Georgia on My Mind.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the C6 chord?
The C6 chord (C sixth) is a sixth chord built from four notes: C, E, G, A — the 1–3–5–6 of the C scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones and 9 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played in open position (x-3-2-2-1-0) with 4 fingers while 1 string rings open and the low E string stays silent. It is rated beginner — most players learn it in their first weeks. A warm, vintage chord that sits between major and minor moods. It is one of the most-used chords in this site's library: across the 80 song sheets charted here, C6 appears 13 times in 2 songs, most often in the keys of F and C, and the chord it most often moves to is Cm6. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 3 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the C6 chord on guitar?
Open position — the easiest version of C6 on the guitar.
- Press the A string at fret 3 with your ring finger.
- Press the D string at fret 2 with your middle finger.
- Press the G string at fret 2 with your middle finger.
- Press the B string at fret 1 with your index finger.
- Start your strum on the A string and do not play the low E string at all.
The x mark is part of the shape, not an accident: the chord only sounds right when low E stays silent. Instead of aiming your pick around that string, let the string next to it rest on it and damp it. x-3-2-2-1-0
How do you make C6 sound clean?
C6 gets played as a fresh grip instead of C with one finger moved on the G string.
C → C6 → C7 → F: one finger walks the G string down two frets.
In real songs
What songs use the C6 chord?
- chord changes
- 13
- songs
- 2
- common keys
- F · C
Across the 80 chord sheets on this site, C6 appears 13 times in 2 songs — most often in the keys of F and C.
FC6FC6
FC6Dm7G7
FC6FC6
Chord flow
What chord comes after C6?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1560 chord changes are behind these figures.
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
What other ways can you play C6 up the neck?
2 more positions below. Learn one of these well and the rest become optional. The value of a second position is practical: it keeps your fretting hand near where the song is already heading.
Position 2 · Fret 3 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
It needs 2 separate bars, one of them a partial bar across the inner strings — the hardest part of this shape.
Position 3 · Fret 8 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
The theory behind C6
C6 is spelled C – E – G – A — the 1 – 3 – 5 – 6 of the C scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones, 9 semitones. A warm, vintage chord that sits between major and minor moods.
The sixth is the same note a minor third below the octave, and on guitar it is often already ringing in the open position — which is why 6th chords feel easier to play than they look on paper.
C6 on other instruments
C – E – G – A — all white keys, so you can find the shape by counting up from C.
Take it to the practice room
