A♭6 / G♯6 Chord on Guitar

1,008 guitar chords with several shapes each, finger numbers, difficulty and real sound, in any tuning.

A♭6 (also written G♯6) is a major sixth chord made of 4 notes: A♭, C, E♭, F. It sounds sweet and old-fashioned, and you hear it in swing, country, surf and the last chord of a jazz tune. It is the I chord of A♭ major and turns up in 5 other keys.

The library above opens on A♭6 with 14 shapes up and down the neck. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.

Notes in A♭6

Note	Degree	Interval from A♭	Semitones
A♭	1	root	0
C	3	major third	4
E♭	5	perfect fifth	7
F	6	major sixth	9

Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – 6. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord. With the other spelling, G♯6 is G♯, B♯, D♯, E♯: the same sounds under different names.

How to play A♭6

E-shape barre at fret 3Easy43354x

Fret 1Beginnerxxx111

Fret 5Beginnerxx656x

Fret 11Easyx(11)(13)(13)(13)(13)

Fret 10Beginnerx(11)(10)(10)xx

Fret 13Beginnerxxx(13)(13)(13)

E-shape barre at fret 3 (root on the 6th string), step by step

Lay your 1st finger (index) flat across the 5th string to the 4th string at the 3rd fret.
2nd finger (middle): 6th string, 4th fret (A♭, the root).
3rd finger (ring): 2nd string, 4th fret (E♭, the fifth).
4th finger (little): 3rd string, 5th fret (C, the major third).
Strum from the 6th string, and keep the 1st string quiet (touch the muted string lightly with the finger next to it).

Tips

The e-shape barre at fret 3 shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 5th fret (xx656x): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.

Keys and progressions with A♭6

A♭6 belongs to 6 keys: V in D♭ major, IV in E♭ major, I in A♭ major, VI in C minor, III in F minor, VII in B♭ minor. In A♭ major, try I–V–vi–IV: A♭6 – E♭ – Fm – D♭.