Skip to content

Guitar chords · Major 6th

E♭6 chord on guitar (Eb6)

E♭6 (E♭ major 6th) has four notes: E♭, G, B♭ and C, the , 3, 5 and 6.

Shapes

How to play E♭6

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

E♭6 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11. 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 6

    6fr×R5R36E♭B♭E♭GC
  • E shape · fret 11

    11frR5R36RE♭B♭E♭GCE♭
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes E♭6 major 6th

A 6th chord adds the 6th note of the scale to a major chord. It is sweeter and less tense than a , and it often ends a song in swing, country and old pop.

  • 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 and the 6th make E♭6 a major 6th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. E♭Rroot
  2. G3essential
  3. B♭5optional
  4. C6essential
EADGBE0135791215E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭GB♭CGB♭CGB♭CGB♭CGB♭CGB♭CGB♭CGB♭CG
  • E♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

E♭6 and D♯6 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with E♭6

E♭6 belongs to six keys: A♭ major (V6), E♭ major (I6), B♭ major (IV6), F minor (VII6), C minor (III6) and G minor (VI6).

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

Slash chords

E♭6 over another bass note

A keeps E♭6 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • E♭6/G

    E♭6 with its 3rd, G, in the bass.

  • E♭6/B♭

    E♭6 with its 5th, B♭, in the bass.

Questions

E♭6, in short

What notes are in the E♭6 chord?
E♭6 (E♭ major 6th) has four notes: E♭, G, B♭ and C, the , 3, 5 and 6.
How do you play E♭6 on guitar?
E♭6 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11.
What key is E♭6 in?
E♭6 belongs to six keys: A♭ major (V6), E♭ major (I6), B♭ major (IV6), F minor (VII6), C minor (III6) and G minor (VI6).
Is E♭6 the same as D♯6?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. E♭6 is the spelling in A♭ major, E♭ major, B♭ major, F minor, C minor and G minor. No key on the circle spells it D♯6, so you will rarely see that name.
All guitar chords