Piano chord

B Major 6th Piano Chord (B6)

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

B Major 6th chord on a piano keyboard: B, D♯, F♯, G♯ C5C6 B D♯ F♯ G♯

B6 B – D♯ – F♯ – G♯

Tap any key to hear it.

Name any chord from its keys in the chord finder →

What notes are in B Major 6th?

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

Notes
B – D♯ – F♯ – G♯
Formula
1 – 3 – 5 – 6
Semitones from the root
0 – 4 – 7 – 9
Symbol
B6
Chord type
Major 6th, 4 notes

How to play B Major 6th on piano

  • Right hand: B (1), D♯ (2), F♯ (3), G♯ (5). Fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5, thumb on B.
  • Left hand: B (5), D♯ (3), F♯ (2), G♯ (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on B.

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

Advertisement

B Major 6th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: B6/D♯, B6/F♯, B6/G♯.

B Major 6th root position on piano: B, D♯, F♯, G♯ B D♯ F♯ G♯
Root position B6 B – D♯ – F♯ – G♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
B Major 6th 1st inversion on piano: D♯, F♯, G♯, B D♯ F♯ G♯ B
1st inversion B6/D♯ D♯ – F♯ – G♯ – B RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
B Major 6th 2nd inversion on piano: F♯, G♯, B, D♯ F♯ G♯ B D♯
2nd inversion B6/F♯ F♯ – G♯ – B – D♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
B Major 6th 3rd inversion on piano: G♯, B, D♯, F♯ G♯ B D♯ F♯
3rd inversion B6/G♯ G♯ – B – D♯ – F♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1

Progressions with B Major 6th

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

Pop progression

in B major

  1. I6 B6
  2. V F♯
  3. vi G♯m
  4. IV E
Pop progression in B major: B6, F♯, G♯m, E B D♯ F♯ G♯

Three-chord classic

in F♯ major

  1. I F♯
  2. IV6 B6
  3. V D♭
  4. I F♯
Three-chord classic in F♯ major: F♯, B6, D♭, F♯ C♯ F♯ A♯

Can you find B Major 6th?

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

1 / 6 Tap the notes of B Major 6th (B6)

Score 0

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

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is B Major 6th in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of B6, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • B majorI6
  • F♯ majorIV6
  • E majorV6

Minor keys

  • G♯ minorIII6
  • E minorV6 (harmonic minor)
  • E♭ minorVI6
  • C♯ minorVII6

B Major 6th chord FAQ

What notes are in the B Major 6th chord?

B Major 6th (B6) has 4 notes: B, D♯, F♯ and G♯. Its formula is 1 – 3 – 5 – 6, counted up from B.

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

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

What are the inversions of B Major 6th?

1st inversion: D♯, F♯, G♯, B (B6/D♯). 2nd inversion: F♯, G♯, B, D♯ (B6/F♯). 3rd inversion: G♯, B, D♯, F♯ (B6/G♯).

What key is B Major 6th in?

B6 belongs to B major (I6), F♯ major (IV6), E major (V6), G♯ minor (III6), E♭ minor (VI6) and C♯ minor (VII6).

Other B chords

Major 6th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open B6 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano