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A♭6

Character: sweet

  1. A♭Rtriad
  2. C3triad
  3. E♭5triad
  4. F6add
Open A♭6 in the chord libraryDownload the A♭6 chart (PDF)
Voicings

13 ways to play A♭6

Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.

  • Triad note
  • Substitute
  • Added
  • Anchored root
  • Bass
  • Doubling
CC shape 1st inversion A♭6/C
8 9 10 11 5 R 6 3 5 R

Frets x 11 10 10 9 11Notes C F A♭Intervals 3 6 1Base triadA♭ major, 1st inversion

The 6th takes the 5th’s string.

CC shape Root position A♭6
8 9 10 11 5 6 3 R

Frets x 11 10 10 x xNotes A♭ C FIntervals 1 3 6Base triadA♭ major, root position

The 6th takes the 5th’s string.

CC shape 2nd inversion A♭6/E♭
8 9 10 11 6 3 R 5

Frets 11 11 10 10 x xNotes E♭ A♭ C FIntervals 5 1 3 6Base triadA♭ major, 2nd inversion

The 6th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion A♭6/E♭
1 2 3 4 6 3 R 5

Frets x x 1 1 1 1Notes E♭ A♭ C FIntervals 5 1 3 6Base triadA♭ major, 2nd inversion

The 6th gets a string of its own.

GG shape 1st inversion A♭6/C
1 2 3 4 5 R 6 3 R 3 R

Frets 4 3 3 1 1 4Notes C F A♭Intervals 3 6 1Base triadA♭ major, 1st inversion

The 6th takes the 5th’s string.

GG shape Root position A♭6
1 2 3 4 5 5 6 3 R R 5 3

Frets 4 3 3 5 4 4Notes A♭ C FIntervals 1 3 6Base triadA♭ major, root position

The 6th takes the 5th’s string.

EE shape 1st inversion A♭6/C
4 5 6 7 5 R 6 3 R 5 R

Frets 4 6 6 5 6 4Notes C F A♭Intervals 3 6 1Base triadA♭ major, 1st inversion

The 6th takes the 5th’s string.

EE shape Root position A♭6
4 5 6 7 5 6 3 R R

Frets 4 x 6 5 6 xNotes A♭ C FIntervals 1 3 6Base triadA♭ major, root position

The 6th takes the 5th’s string.

EE shape 2nd inversion A♭6/E♭
4 5 6 7 6 3 R 5 R

Frets 4 6 6 5 6 xNotes E♭ A♭ C FIntervals 5 1 3 6Base triadA♭ major, 2nd inversion

The 6th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 1st inversion A♭6/C
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6 R 5 3 3 R

Frets 8 6 6 10 9 8Notes C E♭ A♭ FIntervals 3 5 1 6Base triadA♭ major, 1st inversion

The 6th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 2nd inversion AnchoredA♭6
3 4 5 6 R 3 6 5 R

Frets 4 6 3 5 x xNotes A♭ E♭ F CIntervals 1 5 6 3Base triadA♭ major, 2nd inversion

The root drops to the string below the triad. The 6th takes the root’s string.

DD shape 2nd inversion A♭6/F
6 7 8 9 10 5 3 R 6

Frets x x x 10 9 8Notes F A♭ CIntervals 6 1 3Base triadA♭ major, 2nd inversion

The 6th takes the 5th’s string.

DD shape 2nd inversion AnchoredA♭6
6 7 8 9 R 3 6 5 R

Frets x x 6 8 6 8Notes A♭ E♭ F CIntervals 1 5 6 3Base triadA♭ major, 2nd inversion

The root drops to the string below the triad. The 6th takes the root’s string.

The rules

The construction rules A♭6 follows

  1. Start from a triad

    Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.

  2. No 7th, no stack

    6, add9, add11 and 6/9 are a triad with a colour note, not a stack. Without a 7th the chord sounds open rather than jazzy.

  3. On guitar, something has to give

    Each extension takes the string of a triad note that matters less, usually the 5th, or gets a string of its own. The root and 3rd stay: they say what the chord is.

  4. The root can move down

    When an extension needs the root’s string, the root can drop to the string below the triad: an anchored voicing keeps the bass and frees a string on top.

All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.

Major 6th in every key

More chords on A♭

A♭6 chord questions

What notes are in A♭6?

A♭6 is spelled A♭ C E♭ F: A♭ is the root, C is the 3rd, E♭ is the 5th, F is the 6th.

What is the formula of A♭6?

1 3 5 6. It is a A♭ major triad with the 6th stacked on top.

How many ways can you play A♭6 on guitar?

This page shows 13 voicings of A♭6, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.