Tools / Chords / A♭ 6th

A♭ 6th chord on guitar (A♭6)

Also written A♭6 or A♭

A♭ 6th contains A♭, C, E♭ and F. The 3rd fret shape bars the A and D strings with the index finger while the pinky reaches the 5th fret.

3rd fret4-3-3-5-4-×

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

A♭1Root

C3Major 3rd

E♭5Perfect 5th

F6Major 6th

Formula 1, 3, 5, 6

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionA♭–C–E♭–FA♭6Bass A♭

First inversionC–E♭–F–A♭A♭6/CBass C

Second inversionE♭–F–A♭–CA♭6/E♭Bass E♭

Third inversionF–A♭–C–E♭A♭6/FBass F

Why it sounds like that

A♭ 6th is built from the formula 1, 3, 5, 6. The major sixth F added to the A♭ major triad gives the chord a warm, jazzy colour. Compare it with A♭ major, which has only three notes.

What goes wrong with A♭ 6th?

Letting the high e string ring: mute it with the ring finger, or the open E clashes with the chord.
Not pressing the barre hard enough on the D string, causing a buzz.
Flattening the pinky onto the B string and deadening it.

When to use it

A♭ 6th is the tonic in A♭ major, used in the I–IV–V–I progression A♭–D♭–E♭–A♭. Its jazzy colour suits swing and blues. Use it to add sophistication to an A♭ major chord in a turnaround.

Changing to and from A♭ 6th

Sliding the shape up one fret to the 4th fret gives A 6th; the barre and fingers move as a unit.

Which voicing to use

The 3rd fret shape keeps the root A♭ in the bass and is the most common movable form. The A♭6/C inversion at the 1st fret places the third C in the bass, which gives a lighter, more open sound.

How do you play an A♭ 6th chord on guitar?

3rd fret

Barre● On the diagram

A♭ 6th is played at the 3rd fret as 4 3 3 5 4 ×: barre your index finger across fret 3, middle finger on the low E string at fret 4, pinky finger on the G string at fret 5 and ring finger on the B string at fret 4. The high e string stays muted.

Tip — The index barre must fret the A and D strings at the 3rd fret while the pinky stretches to the 5th fret G string, which requires finger independence.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	4	2	A♭ (1)
5 (A)	3	1 (barre)	C (3)
4 (D)	3	1 (barre)	F (6)
3 (G)	5	4	C (3)
2 (B)	4	3	E♭ (5)
1 (e)	muted	—	—

6th fret

Intermediate

A♭ 6th is played at the 6th fret as × × 6 8 6 8: index finger on the D string at fret 6, ring finger on the G string at fret 8, middle finger on the B string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 8. The low E and A strings stay muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	muted	—	—
4 (D)	6	1	A♭ (1)
3 (G)	8	3	E♭ (5)
2 (B)	6	2	F (6)
1 (e)	8	4	C (3)

A♭6/C inversion · fret 1

Barre

A♭ 6th is played at the 1st fret as × 3 1 1 1 1: barre your index finger across fret 1 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 3. The low E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	3	4	C (3)
4 (D)	1	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
3 (G)	1	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)
2 (B)	1	1 (barre)	C (3)
1 (e)	1	1 (barre)	F (6)

A♭6/C inversion · fret 3

Barre

A♭ 6th is played at the 3rd fret as × 3 3 5 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 3, pinky finger on the G string at fret 5, middle finger on the B string at fret 4 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 4. The low E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	3	1 (barre)	C (3)
4 (D)	3	1 (barre)	F (6)
3 (G)	5	4	C (3)
2 (B)	4	2	E♭ (5)
1 (e)	4	3	A♭ (1)

A♭6/C inversion · fret 6

Barre

A♭ 6th is played at the 6th fret as 8 6 6 8 6 8: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the low E string at fret 8, ring finger on the G string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 8.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	8	2	C (3)
5 (A)	6	1 (barre)	E♭ (5)
4 (D)	6	1 (barre)	A♭ (1)
3 (G)	8	3	E♭ (5)
2 (B)	6	1 (barre)	F (6)
1 (e)	8	4	C (3)

Common questions

How is A♭ 6th written?

The symbol A♭6 is the most common spelling, and the ASCII root is Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

Can I play A♭ 6th with a barre at the 6th fret?

Yes, the 6th fret shape is a partial barre with the root on the D string. It is useful for higher register playing.

Why is the high e string muted in the 3rd fret shape?

The high e is not a chord tone, so it must be muted to keep the voicing clean and avoid a clash.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

A♭ (1)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

C (3)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

F (6)

3 (G)

C (3)

2 (B)

E♭ (5)

1 (e)

muted

—

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

muted

—

4 (D)

A♭ (1)

3 (G)

E♭ (5)

2 (B)

F (6)

1 (e)

C (3)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

C (3)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

C (3)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

F (6)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

1 (barre)

C (3)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

F (6)

3 (G)

C (3)

2 (B)

E♭ (5)

1 (e)

A♭ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

C (3)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

E♭ (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

A♭ (1)

3 (G)

E♭ (5)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

F (6)

1 (e)

C (3)