Chord library · major 6th chord
G6 Chord (G major 6th): Notes, Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
G6 chord = G B D E. 4 guitar fingerings and 4 ukulele fingerings checked note by note, piano keys and staff you can hear, and the 9 keys that contain it.
Short answer
The G major 6th chord (G6) has four notes: G, B, D and E. Above the root G it has a major third, a perfect fifth and a major sixth. This page shows 4 guitar fingerings, 4 ukulele fingerings and the keyboard and the staff. It also covers the 9 keys that contain the chord and the chords that share its notes.
- Groot
- B3rd
- D5th
- E6th
- 4notes: G · B · D · E
- 4guitar fingerings (1 open-position)
- 4ukulele fingerings
- 9of the 24 keys contain this chord
Fingerings: chords-db (MIT licence), checked note by note. Song statistics: OpenScore Lieder, mostly 19th-century art songs, analysed by software; they describe that repertoire, not music in general.
On this page: notes and staff · guitar · ukulele · piano · keys · look-alikes · questions
The G major 6th chord: notes, intervals and inversions
A major 6th chord is built from root + major third + perfect fifth + major sixth: a stack of a major third (4 semitones), a minor third (3) and a major second (2), each placed on top of the one before. On G that gives G, B, D and E. Each chord tone gets its own letter name (root G, third B, fifth D, sixth E), so the spelling is fixed by the rule, not by taste. Spelling rule: the third is written with the letter B (two letters above G), the fifth with the letter D (four letters above G) and the sixth with the letter E (five letters above G). None of the four notes needs a sharp or a flat.
Pitch-class numbers (C = 0): 7, 11, 2, 4. The same four pitch classes sound in every octave and in every inversion.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval above the root | Semitones | On the keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | G | unison | 0 | white key |
| Third | B | major third | 4 | white key |
| Fifth | D | perfect fifth | 7 | white key |
| Sixth | E | major sixth | 9 | white key |
G major 6th on the staff: root position and all three inversions
Treble clef. The notes are the same four each time; only the lowest one changes. Drawn in your browser (VexFlow); the notes are also written out under each staff.
G – B – D – E
B – D – E – G
D – E – G – B
E – G – B – D
An inversion puts another chord tone in the bass. The chord symbol with a slash names the bass note; the last column gives the letter-name distance of each other note above the bass (3 = a third, 5 = a fifth, 7 = a seventh ...).
| Position | Notes, bottom to top | Bass note | Chord symbol | Intervals above the bass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | G – B – D – E | G | G6 | 6/5/3 |
| First inversion | B – D – E – G | B | G6/B | 6/4/3 |
| Second inversion | D – E – G – B | D | G6/D | 6/4/2 |
| Third inversion | E – G – B – D | E | G6/E | 7/5/3 |
G6 on guitar: 4 fingerings
The database lists 4 fingerings for G6 on the guitar: 2 barre shapes, 1 open-position shape and 1 closed shape. Strings are drawn left to right in the order E A D G B E (standard tuning, lowest string first). A number inside a dot is the finger (1 = index, 4 = little finger); × marks a string you do not play, ○ an open string, and a bar across the strings is a barre (one finger pressing several strings at the same fret). The letters under each diagram are the note each string sounds, spelled as in the chord (G, B, D, E).
3 of the 4 shapes have the root in the bass; the other has the third or the fifth or the sixth in the bass (a slash chord such as G6/D).
- Frets 3 2 0 0 0 0
- Fingers 2 1 – – – –
- Notes G B D G B E
- Bass G — root position
- Frets 3 × 2 4 3 ×
- Fingers 2 – 1 4 3 –
- Notes G E B D
- Bass G — root position
- Frets × 5 5 7 5 7
- Fingers – 1 1 3 1 4
- Barre across 4 strings at fret 5
- Notes D G D E B
- Bass D — second inversion, written G6/D
- Frets × 10 12 12 12 12
- Fingers – 1 3 3 3 4
- Barre across 4 strings at fret 12
- Notes G D G B E
- Bass G — root position
Counted from the shapes above.
| Shape | Frets (low string first) | Strings sounding | Bass note | Reads as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 2 0 0 0 0 | 6 | G | G6 |
| 2 | 3 × 2 4 3 × | 4 | G | G6 |
| 3 | × 5 5 7 5 7 | 5 | D | G6/D |
| 4 | × 10 12 12 12 12 | 5 | G | G6 |
G6 on ukulele: 4 fingerings
The database lists 4 fingerings for G6 on the ukulele: 2 closed shapes, 1 open-position shape and 1 barre shape. Strings are drawn left to right in the order G C E A (standard tuning; the G string is tuned high, so the strings do not run from low to high). A number inside a dot is the finger (1 = index, 4 = little finger); × marks a string you do not play, ○ an open string, and a bar across the strings is a barre (one finger pressing several strings at the same fret). The letters under each diagram are the note each string sounds, spelled as in the chord (G, B, D, E).
1 of the 4 shapes has the root in the bass; the other 3 have the third or the fifth or the sixth in the bass (a slash chord such as G6/B, G6/D and G6/E).
- Frets 0 2 0 2
- Fingers – 1 – 2
- Notes G D E B
- Bass D — second inversion, written G6/D
- Frets 4 4 3 5
- Fingers 2 3 1 4
- Notes B E G D
- Bass E — third inversion, written G6/E
- Frets 7 7 7 7
- Fingers 1 1 1 1
- Barre across 4 strings at fret 7
- Notes D G B E
- Bass G — root position
- Frets 9 11 10 10
- Fingers 1 4 2 3
- Notes E B D G
- Bass B — first inversion, written G6/B
G6 on the piano keyboard
Press the four keys G, B, D, E together. The pictures show the same chord in root position and all three inversions, using the voicings of the staves above; the brass keys are the chord tones and the darker one is the root. The chords-db piano entry for G6 lists the same four pitch classes, which the build script compared with the notes above.
G – B – D – E
B – D – E – G
D – E – G – B
E – G – B – D
Key numbers count the 88 keys of a full piano from the lowest A (key 1); middle C is key 40.
| Chord tone | Note | Key colour | Key number (1–88) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root | G | white | 35 |
| Third | B | white | 39 |
| Fifth | D | white | 42 |
| Sixth | E | white | 44 |
Which keys contain the G major 6th chord?
The script builds this chord type on every degree of the 24 keys of this site (the scales on the key pages) and keeps the chords whose four pitch classes equal G6. Result: 6 of the 24 keys contain it among their own chords, and 3 more borrow it from the parallel minor key.
| Key | Role (Roman numeral) | Written in that key as | How it gets there | Songs in the key (Lieder) | Scores in the key (Mutopia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major | Vadd6 | G6 | in the key | 95 | 367 |
| G major | Iadd6 | G6 | in the key | 118 | 287 |
| D major | IVadd6 | G6 | in the key | 99 | 195 |
| A major | ♭VIIadd6 | G6 | borrowed from the parallel minor | 74 | 120 |
| E major | ♭IIIadd6 | G6 | borrowed from the parallel minor | 91 | 63 |
| B major | ♭VIadd6 | G6 | borrowed from the parallel minor | 40 | 8 |
The two song columns are the number of OpenScore Lieder songs (of 1,462) and of Mutopia scores whose home key is the key in that row, taken from the key pages. They show how much music is written in the key where the chord lives, not how often the chord itself sounds; that is the next section. In the Lieder the major or minor mode is an estimate, the key signature is exact.
Chords easily confused with G6
Chords of this library whose pitch classes are exactly those of G6. The notes are the same on a keyboard; the name depends on which note is heard as the root, and the spelling follows the key.
| Chord | Its notes | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| E minor 7th | E – G – B – D | root G here, root E there |
Found by comparing the pitch classes of all 168 chords in this library. Sharing three notes is why such chords can stand in for each other in a progression; a chord changes mood or function through the one note that differs.
| Chord | Its notes | Shared with G6 | The one note that differs | Root relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G added 9th | G – B – D – A | G, B and D | E here, A there | same root (parallel chord) |
| G dominant 7th | G – B – D – F | G, B and D | E here, F there | same root (parallel chord) |
| G major 7th | G – B – D – F♯ | G, B and D | E here, F♯ there | same root (parallel chord) |
| G minor 6th | G – B♭ – D – E | G, D and E | B here, B♭ there | same root (parallel chord) |
| A dominant 7th suspended 4th | A – D – E – G | D, E and G | B here, A there | root 2 semitones above |
| C added 9th | C – E – G – D | E, G and D | B here, C there | root a perfect fourth above |
| C major 7th | C – E – G – B | E, G and B | D here, C there | root a perfect fourth above |
| C♯ half-diminished 7th | C♯ – E – G – B | E, G and B | D here, C♯ there | root 6 semitones above |
| E dominant 7th | E – G♯ – B – D | E, B and D | G here, G♯ there | root a minor third below |
| E dominant 7th suspended 4th | E – A – B – D | E, B and D | G here, A there | root a minor third below |
| E half-diminished 7th | E – G – B♭ – D | E, G and D | B here, B♭ there | root a minor third below |
| E minor 6th | E – G – B – C♯ | E, G and B | D here, C♯ there | root a minor third below |
Enharmonic name. G major 6th has no enharmonic spelling that needs only single sharps or flats.
Background from Wikipedia: major 6th chords, chords and inversion
Sixth chord
Sixth chord is the common name for any added tone chord where the extra pitch is a sixth above the root. The term also applies to three-note chords with a sixth and a third above the root, a configuration commonly known as first inversion. In chromatic music, augmented sixth chords are important tools.
Source: Wikipedia, “Sixth chord” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-02-01.
Chord
A chord is the simultaneous sound of two or more musical notes. The most common chord has three notes and is known as a triad. Added tone chords, extended chords, and tone clusters can have more than three notes and are common in contemporary classical music and jazz.
An arpeggio is a chord where notes are sounded separately. A series of chords is sometimes called a chord progression. There are several ways to notate chords including figured bass, Roman numerals, the Nashville Number System, and alphabetical chord notation.
Source: Wikipedia, “Chord (music)” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-04-05.
Inversion: root position and inverted chords
Root position and inverted chords
A chord is in root position if its root is the lowest note. This is sometimes known as the parent chord of its inversions. For example, the root of a C-major triad is C, so a C-major triad will be in root position if C is the lowest note and its third and fifth (E and G, respectively) are above it – or, on occasion, do not sound at all.
In an inverted chord, the root is not the lowest note. The inversions are numbered in the order their lowest notes appear in a close root-position chord (from bottom to top).
- In the first inversion, the lowest note is E – the third of the triad – with the fifth and the root stacked above it (the root now shifted an octave higher), forming the intervals of a minor third and a minor sixth above the inverted bass of E, respectively.
- In the second inversion, the lowest note is G – the fifth of the triad – with the root and the third above it (both again shifted an octave higher), forming a fourth and a sixth above the (inverted) bass of G, respectively.
Source: Wikipedia, “Inversion (music)” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-07-03.
Practise the G major 6th chord
Pages on this site that go with this chord. The worksheet counts are read from the worksheet pages themselves.
Charts and practice
- Guitar chord chart (printable) the common open and barre chords of all 12 keys on one sheet you can print
- Ukulele chord chart (printable) the same for GCEA ukulele
- Piano chord chart (printable) chords and inversions on the keyboard, all 12 keys
- Interval chart see the intervals above the root: major third, perfect fifth and major sixth
- Treble clef note names find G, B, D and E on the staff
- Staff paper write G6 and its inversions by hand
- Major scales chart a scale that contains every note of G6 in some key, with the notes spelled
- Key signatures chart see which keys carry the sharps or flats in G6
- Circle of fifths the keys that contain G6 sit close together on the circle
- Chord identification practice name chords from the notes
- Interval identification practice train the ear and eye for thirds and fifths
G major 6th: questions people ask
What notes are in the G major 6th chord?
The G major 6th chord (G6) has four notes: G, B, D, E. They are the root G, a major third (B), a perfect fifth (D) and a major sixth (E). In root position the notes are stacked as a major third (4 semitones), a minor third (3) and a major second (2), each placed on top of the one before.
How do you play G6 on guitar?
The chords-db database lists 4 guitar fingerings for G6 that passed the checks. The first one (open-position chord) uses frets 3 2 0 0 0 0 from the lowest string, fingers 2 1 – – – –; it sounds G B D G B E with G in the bass. All of them are on this page as diagrams, with finger numbers and the note under every string.
How do you play G6 on ukulele or piano?
On a standard GCEA ukulele the first listed fingering is frets 0 2 0 2 (strings G, C, E, A), sounding G D E B; 4 fingerings are shown in all. On piano press G, B, D and E together; the inversions are G6/B, G6/D and G6/E.
Does the G major 6th chord have another name?
Not in practice: its enharmonic spelling would need double sharps or flats, so it is always written G major 6th.
Which keys contain the G major 6th chord?
It is one of the chords of 9 of the 24 keys: C major (Vadd6), G major (Iadd6), D major (IVadd6), A major (♭VIIadd6), E major (♭IIIadd6), B major (♭VIadd6) and 3 more.
Which keys is G6 found in?
In the 24 keys of this site it appears in 9, as IIIadd6, IVadd6, Iadd6, VIIadd6, VIadd6, Vadd6, ♭IIIadd6, ♭VIIadd6 and ♭VIadd6.
How this page was made
- Note names. Computed from the root and the interval pattern with the rule “one letter name per chord tone” (the same code that spells the scales on the key pages), then checked: letters, semitone pattern, no double accidentals.
- Fingerings. Every position comes from chords-db; the script recomputes the sounding pitch of each string in standard tuning and stops the build unless all of them are notes of this chord.
- Roles in keys. The chord type is built on every degree of the 24 key scales used on the key pages; a chord counts when its pitch classes equal this chord's.
- Statistics. No chord-use statistic is given for this chord type: the Lieder analysis labels chords by Roman numeral and does not separate it. Counts of songs per key come from the key pages.
- Independent check. A separate test (tests/chordlib/verify-tonal.test.mjs) re-derives the notes of every page with the tonal library and compares notes, staff voicings, keyboard voicings and every fingering.
Data used
- chords-db — guitar and ukulele fingerings, piano note lists (version 0.6.0) MIT
- OpenScore Lieder, automatic harmonic analyses — chord-use shares, chord-to-chord transitions and per-key progression counts CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia — excerpts from Sixth chord, Chord (music) and Inversion (music), snapshot 2026-07-01 CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Mutopia Project — number of scores in each key per-piece licences; counts only
What this page cannot tell you
- The fingerings are one community-maintained database's choices; many other fingerings exist, and a good player will voice the chord to suit the music.
- Chord labels in the Lieder are software output that nobody has checked, for 19th-century art songs. Percentages show the repertoire, not pop or jazz.
- Sevenths and inversions are folded into the plain chord in the Lieder statistics, so they cannot tell a root-position triad from a first inversion.
- Roles in keys are counted for the 24 keys on this site and for major, natural and harmonic minor only; other scales (melodic minor, modes) are not searched, and only the third, fourth, sixth and seventh degrees of the parallel minor are borrowed.
- Fingerings that leave out a chord tone are shown only where that is usual for this chord type (here: the fifth), and are marked as such.
Checks run each time this page is rebuilt
- spelling: one letter name per chord tone (G–B–D–E), semitone pattern 4+3+2
- staff and keyboard: 4 voicings, every note is a chord tone, the lowest note of voicing n is chord tone n
- drawings read back from the finished SVG: every dot, open ring, cross, barre and note letter equals the data; the keyboards highlight exactly the chord tones
- guitar: 4 shapes, ukulele: 4 shapes, 36 sounding strings in total, every one a chord tone; computed midi = database midi; barres playable
chords-db licence (MIT) — fingering data used on this page
The guitar and ukulele fingerings come from chords-db (version 0.6.0). Its licence text, which must travel with the data, is:
MIT License Copyright (c) 2016 David Rubert Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
Data: chords-db (David Rubert) (MIT); OpenScore Lieder Corpus (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Guitar and ukulele fingerings: chords-db, Copyright (c) 2016 David Rubert, MIT licence (full text above). Wikipedia excerpts are under CC BY-SA 4.0 with the article named at each excerpt. Computed for this site on 2026-10-08. Licences and credits for everything used on this site are on the credits page.