Piano chord

A Major 6th Piano Chord (A6)

The A Major 6th chord on piano is made of the notes A, C♯, E and F♯. Warm and nostalgic. Popular in jazz and older pop music.

A Major 6th chord on a piano keyboard: A, C♯, E, F♯ C5C6 A C♯ E F♯

A6 A – C♯ – E – F♯

Tap any key to hear it.

Name any chord from its keys in the chord finder →

What notes are in A Major 6th?

4 notes, built 1 – 3 – 5 – 6 up from A.

Notes
A – C♯ – E – F♯
Formula
1 – 3 – 5 – 6
Semitones from the root
0 – 4 – 7 – 9
Symbol
A6
Chord type
Major 6th, 4 notes

How to play A Major 6th on piano

  • Right hand: A (1), C♯ (2), E (3), F♯ (5). Fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5, thumb on A.
  • Left hand: A (5), C♯ (3), E (2), F♯ (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on A.

Fingers are numbered 1 (thumb) to 5 (little finger) on both hands.

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A Major 6th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: A6/C♯, A6/E, A6/F♯.

A Major 6th root position on piano: A, C♯, E, F♯ A C♯ E F♯
Root position A6 A – C♯ – E – F♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
A Major 6th 1st inversion on piano: C♯, E, F♯, A C♯ E F♯ A
1st inversion A6/C♯ C♯ – E – F♯ – A RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
A Major 6th 2nd inversion on piano: E, F♯, A, C♯ E F♯ A C♯
2nd inversion A6/E E – F♯ – A – C♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
A Major 6th 3rd inversion on piano: F♯, A, C♯, E F♯ A C♯ E
3rd inversion A6/F♯ F♯ – A – C♯ – E RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1

Progressions with A Major 6th

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

Pop progression

in A major

  1. I6 A6
  2. V E
  3. vi F♯m
  4. IV D
Pop progression in A major: A6, E, F♯m, D C♯ E F♯ A

Three-chord classic

in E major

  1. I E
  2. IV6 A6
  3. V B
  4. I E
Three-chord classic in E major: E, A6, B, E B E G♯

Can you find A Major 6th?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of A Major 6th (A6)

Score 0

Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is A Major 6th in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of A6, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • A majorI6
  • E majorIV6
  • D majorV6

Minor keys

  • F♯ minorIII6
  • D minorV6 (harmonic minor)
  • C♯ minorVI6
  • B minorVII6

A Major 6th chord FAQ

What notes are in the A Major 6th chord?

A Major 6th (A6) has 4 notes: A, C♯, E and F♯. Its formula is 1 – 3 – 5 – 6, counted up from A.

How do you play A Major 6th on the piano?

Put your right thumb on A and play A, C♯, E and F♯ with fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on A.

What are the inversions of A Major 6th?

1st inversion: C♯, E, F♯, A (A6/C♯). 2nd inversion: E, F♯, A, C♯ (A6/E). 3rd inversion: F♯, A, C♯, E (A6/F♯).

What key is A Major 6th in?

A6 belongs to A major (I6), E major (IV6), D major (V6), F♯ minor (III6), C♯ minor (VI6) and B minor (VII6).

Other A chords

Major 6th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open A6 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano