Piano chord · also written A♯6

B♭ Major 6th Piano Chord (B♭6)

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

B♭6 B♭ – D – F – G

Tap any key to hear it.

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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
B♭6
Same keys as
A♯6 (A♯ – D – E♯ – G)
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.

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B♭ Major 6th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: B♭6/D, B♭6/F, B♭6/G.

B♭ Major 6th root position on piano: B♭, D, F, G B♭ D F G
Root position B♭6 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 B♭6/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 B♭6/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 B♭6/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 B♭6
  2. V F
  3. vi Gm
  4. IV E♭
Pop progression in B♭ major: B♭6, F, Gm, E♭ B♭ D F G

Three-chord classic

in F major

  1. I F
  2. IV6 B♭6
  3. V C
  4. I F
Three-chord classic in F major: F, B♭6, C, 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 (B♭6)

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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 B♭6, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • B♭ majorI6
  • F majorIV6
  • E♭ majorV6

Minor keys

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

B♭ Major 6th chord FAQ

What notes are in the B♭ Major 6th chord?

B♭ Major 6th (B♭6) 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♭.

Is B♭ Major 6th the same as A♯ Major 6th?

On the piano, yes: A♯6 (A♯, D, E♯, G) uses exactly the same keys as B♭6 (B♭, D, F, G). Which name is used depends on the key of the piece; B♭6 is the more common spelling.

What are the inversions of B♭ Major 6th?

1st inversion: D, F, G, B♭ (B♭6/D). 2nd inversion: F, G, B♭, D (B♭6/F). 3rd inversion: G, B♭, D, F (B♭6/G).

What key is B♭ Major 6th in?

B♭6 belongs to B♭ major (I6), F major (IV6), E♭ major (V6), G minor (III6), D minor (VI6) and C minor (VII6).

Other B♭ chords

Major 6th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open B♭6 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano