Julie Swihart

Sixth Chords

Let’s look at how to build an E6 chord on the piano. We can use this pattern to build 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. Major chords are built 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 34-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note (C, D, E, etc.) and type (major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc.).

Get the Printable

How to Play an E6 Chord on the Piano

Now let’s build an E6 chord. We’ll first build an E major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the E major scale: E – G♯ – B
Then we’ll add the sixth note of the E major scale, C♯, to the chord.

So to play an E6 chord, we’ll play:

E – G♯ – B – C♯

We can use this pattern to build any other sixth chord, by playing the first, third, fifth and sixth notes of the matching major scale.

Other Chord Types

Some 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 build an E6 chord on the piano, and you can use that knowledge to build any other sixth chord!

Sixth chords can be fun to try using as substitutions for major chords. The extra note creates more of an open-ended sound, which can add some nice variety to the music.