C6 chord
Sweet and vintage. A major chord with an added 6th, common in jazz, rockabilly, and 1950s pop.
C major 6th · 2 voicings
Notes in C6
How to Play C6
Barre, E6 shape
8 10 10 9 10 8
Barre, A6 shape
x 3 5 5 5 5
Numbers under each diagram are frets, string 6 (thickest) to string 1. x means don't play that string; 0 means play it open.
How C6 Relates to Other Chords
C6 contains exactly the same notes as Am7 — the two are the same chord voiced from a different root, so one shape covers both.
It is built on C with an extra note added on top, so it can stand in wherever that chord appears.
Playing tips for C6
C6has no standard open-position shape, so every voicing here is movable — the same finger pattern works at any fret, and sliding it changes the chord's root. Barre with the flat edge of your index finger, slightly rolled toward the headstock, rather than the soft centre of the pad.
If a string buzzes or sounds dead, the usual causes are a fingertip leaning against it, not quite enough pressure, or a finger too far behind the fret. Play each string one at a time to find which one is failing before adjusting the whole shape — and make sure your guitar is in tune first, since an out-of-tune string will make a correct shape sound wrong. Use our free online tuner to check.
Related Chords
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