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Guitar chords · Six-nine

C6/9 chord on guitar

C6/9 (C six-nine) has five notes: C, E, G, A and D, the , 3, 5, 6 and 9.

Shapes

How to play C6/9

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

C6/9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 3 or the E shape at fret 8. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 3

    ×R3695CEADG
  • E shape · fret 8

    7frR3695RCEADGC
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes C6/9 six-nine

A 6/9 chord adds both the 6th and the 9th to a major , with no 7th. It sounds rich but settled, so it often ends a song in jazz and bossa nova. Keep the 3rd, the 6th and the 9th; the 5th can go.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The 3rd, the 6th and the 9th make C6/9 a six-nine chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. CRroot
  2. E3essential
  3. G5optional
  4. A6essential
  5. D9essential
EADGBE0135791215CCCCCCCCEGADEGADEGADEGADEGADEGADEGADEGADEG
  • C, the root
  • Other chord tones

Keys

Keys with C6/9

C6/9 belongs to six keys: C major (I6/9), G major (IV6/9), F major (V6/9), A minor (III6/9), E minor (VI6/9) and D minor (VII6/9).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Questions

C6/9, in short

What notes are in the C6/9 chord?
C6/9 (C six-nine) has five notes: C, E, G, A and D, the , 3, 5, 6 and 9.
How do you play C6/9 on guitar?
C6/9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 3 or the E shape at fret 8.
What key is C6/9 in?
C6/9 belongs to six keys: C major (I6/9), G major (IV6/9), F major (V6/9), A minor (III6/9), E minor (VI6/9) and D minor (VII6/9).
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