Explore the C 6 Chord with Interactive Fretboard Diagrams

The C major sixth chord, written C6, stacks root C, major third E, fifth G and major sixth A. Adding a major sixth to a major triad is all it takes to turn C into C6.

There are ten voicings on this page, one of them with open strings and five using a barre. For lead lines, reach for the C major pentatonic scale: it holds all four chord tones, and the one note it adds is the second of the scale. For a visual route to the same notes, see how intervals sit on the neck.

Press play on the fretboard player at the top to hear C6 strummed and as an arpeggio.

C major 6th guitar chord is also written as C6, Cmaj6, CM6 or Cadd6.

C6 Chord Notes and Formula

C 6 chord Notes:

C E G A

Formula of the Major Sixth chord:

Formula: 1 3 5 6

C6 Chord Interactive Fretboard

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Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.

C6 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the B string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the D string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the A string

Position 2 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the D, G, B and high E strings at the same time

Position 3 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the low E and high E strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 9 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 10 of the B string

Position 4 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the low E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 8 of the B string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the G string

Position 5 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the high E string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 9 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 10 of the B string

Position 6 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Mute the D string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the G, B and high E strings at the same time

Position 7 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the low E string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the G string

Position 8 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the B string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the D string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the A string

Position 9 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the D and G strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the A string

Position 10 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the D, G, B and high E strings at the same time

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Chords That Go With C6

One key where C6 fits is C major, where it works as the I chord. These are the main chords of that key, the ones you will often hear around it:

I · C ii · Dm iii · Em IV · F V · G vi · Am

See every key in the guitar keys chart, or build a progression with these chords in the chord progression generator.

More C Chords

C Cm C7 Cm7 Cmaj7 Csus4 Csus2 Cadd9 Cdim C9 Caug Cm6 C7sus4 Cdim7

Want to know how this chord is built? Read sixth chords explained, or browse all C guitar chords.

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C 6 | D 6 | E 6 | F 6 | G 6 | A 6 | B 6 | C#6 | D#6 | F#6 | G#6 | A#6 | Ab6 | Bb6 | Db6 | Eb6 | Gb6

Want to Learn Everything About Chords?

Check Chords Domination out: a unique ebook that shows you finger positions, note names and intervals in the chords (plus a tones fretboard maps)

You'll learn how to play 44 chords types across all the fretboard, with many voicings and fingerings

In the ebook you can also find maps show you the tones in a chord all along the fretboard. They are incredibly helpful because allow you to:

Create new voicings on the fly, across all the neck
Improvise targeting the right notes
Unlock the fretboard and expand the CAGED system.

In the new ebook, Chords Domination, you'll find the fretboard tones maps for 44 different qualities of chords. Check it out:

Download Free Excerpt Learn More Here

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in C6?

C6 contains C, E, G and A: root, major third, perfect fifth and major sixth. A is nine semitones up from C.

How many voicings does C major sixth have?

C major sixth has 10 voicings: 1 uses an open string and 5 use a barre. The highest one reaches the 10th fret.

Is C6 the same as Am7?

They share notes. C, E, G and A are also the notes of Am7, which spells A, C, E, G. Whether you hear C6 or Am7 depends on which note sounds like the root.

Which scale fits C major sixth?

The C major pentatonic scale: C, D, E, G, A. It contains all four chord tones, and D is the only extra note.