Sixth Chords

Lets look at how to play an A flat 6 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other sixth chord.

What Are Sixth Chords?

Sixth chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the sixth note of the matching major scale.

So to play a sixth chord, we’ll start with a major chord. We can build a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then to convert the major chord into a sixth chord, we’ll add the sixth note of the matching major scale.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

Get the Printable

How to Play an A Flat 6 Chord on the Piano

So to play an A flat 6 chord, we’ll start with an A flat major chord. We can build an A flat major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the A flat major scale: A♭ – C – E♭

Then to convert the major chord into a sixth chord, we’ll add the sixth note of the A flat major scale: F

So to play an A flat 6 chord, we’ll play:

A♭ – C – E♭ – F

We can use this pattern to build any sixth chord! First we’ll build a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then we’ll add the sixth note of the scale to the chord.

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types you can learn are:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to play an A flat 6 chord on the piano, and you can use that knowledge to build any other sixth chord!

Sixth chords are nice options to have as you learn to play the piano with chords!