Tools / Chords / B♭ 6th

B♭ 6th chord on ukulele (B♭6)

Also written B♭6 or B♭

B♭ 6th contains B♭, D, F, and G. The open D bass makes this advanced shape surprisingly light on a reentrant ukulele.

B♭6/D inversion0-2-1-1

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

B♭1Root

D3Major 3rd

F5Perfect 5th

G6Major 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 positionB♭–D–F–GB♭6Bass B♭

First inversionD–F–G–B♭B♭6/DBass D

Second inversionF–G–B♭–DB♭6/FBass F

Third inversionG–B♭–D–FB♭6/GBass G

Why it sounds like that

B♭ 6th is built from 1, 3, 5, 6, adding a major 6th to a major triad. The major 6th interval between B♭ and G gives the chord its warm, open quality. Compare it to B♭ major, which stops at the perfect 5th.

What goes wrong with B♭ 6th?

Letting the index finger collapse onto the open G string, muting it.
Pressing the A string too hard, causing the note to go sharp.

When to use it

B♭ 6th works as the I chord in B♭ major, especially in I–IV–V–I with B♭ major, E♭ major, and F major. Its added 6th softens the tonic, suiting jazz, swing, and laid-back pop.

Changing to and from B♭ 6th

Move to B♭ major by lifting the middle finger from the A string, leaving the index and ring fingers in place.

Which voicing to use

The B♭6/D inversion keeps D in the bass for a light, open sound; the B♭6/F inversion puts F in the bass for a warmer, more grounded feel. The 10th fret barre gives the root position with B♭ in the bass.

How do you play a B♭ 6th chord on ukulele?

B♭6/D inversion

Beginner● On the diagram

B♭ 6th is played in open position as 0 2 1 1: ring finger on the C string at fret 2, index finger on the E string at fret 1 and middle finger on the A string at fret 1. The G string rings open.

Tip — The index and middle fingers must fret adjacent strings at fret 1 while the ring finger reaches fret 2, demanding precise arching to avoid muting the open G string.

String-by-string breakdown

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

B♭6/F inversion · fret 3

Intermediate

B♭ 6th is played at the 3rd fret as 3 5 3 5: index finger on the G string at fret 3, ring finger on the C string at fret 5, middle finger on the E string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 5.

String-by-string breakdown

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

B♭6/G inversion

Intermediate

B♭ 6th is played at the 6th fret as 7 7 6 8: middle finger on the G string at fret 7, ring finger on the C string at fret 7, index finger on the E string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 8.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	7	2	D (3)
3 (C)	7	3	G (6)
2 (E)	6	1	B♭ (1)
1 (A)	8	4	F (5)

10th fret

Barre

B♭ 6th is played at the 10th fret as 10 10 10 10: barre your index finger across fret 10.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	10	1 (barre)	F (5)
3 (C)	10	1 (barre)	B♭ (1)
2 (E)	10	1 (barre)	D (3)
1 (A)	10	1 (barre)	G (6)

B♭6/F inversion · open position

Intermediate

B♭ 6th is played in open position as 0 5 6 5: index finger on the C string at fret 5, ring finger on the E string at fret 6 and middle finger on the A string at fret 5. The G string rings open.

String-by-string breakdown

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

Common questions

How is B♭ 6th written?

B♭ 6th is written B♭ or B♭6. The ASCII root is Bb, so type Bb6 when using plain text. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

What is the difference between B♭ 6th and B♭ major?

B♭ 6th adds a major 6th (G) to the B♭ major triad. This extra note creates a softer, more colorful sound than the plain major chord.

Why does the open G string work in this shape?

The open G string is the 6th of the chord, so it belongs in the voicing. Leaving it open adds brightness without clashing with the other notes.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

open

—

G (6)

3 (C)

D (3)

2 (E)

F (5)

1 (A)

B♭ (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

B♭ (1)

3 (C)

F (5)

2 (E)

G (6)

1 (A)

D (3)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

D (3)

3 (C)

G (6)

2 (E)

B♭ (1)

1 (A)

F (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

1 (barre)

F (5)

3 (C)

1 (barre)

B♭ (1)

2 (E)

1 (barre)

D (3)

1 (A)

1 (barre)

G (6)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

open

—

G (6)

3 (C)

F (5)

2 (E)

B♭ (1)

1 (A)

D (3)