Sixth Chord
A major triad with the sixth degree added instead of a seventh: C, E, G and A. It comes to a stop in a way that a maj7 never quite does, which is why jazz ended on this chord long before it ended on maj7.
- 4 notes
- 1 3 5 6
- settled
which styles use it
- Swing
- Bossa nova
- Sixties pop
- Country
Which notes are in a sixth chord?
A major triad with a major sixth above the root. In C: C, E, G and A.
- C, the root
- E, the major third
- G, the fifth
- A, the major sixth
Note that this is a sixth and not a seventh, which is why it is not in the seventh chord family at all despite having four notes.
Why does it stop so completely?
Because there is no half step anywhere in it. A maj7 has its seventh sitting one half step under the root, and that tiny clash keeps a faint tension alive under the chord. C6 has no two notes that close together, so there is nothing left humming.
That is the reason jazz before bebop used the 6 as its standard final chord. The maj7 only became the normal ending later, and it ends a piece with the lights still on.
C6 and Am7 are the same four notes
C, E, G and A is also A, C, E and G, which is Am7. Nothing distinguishes them on paper.
What distinguishes them is the bass and the context. Put the C at the bottom and let the music arrive there and you hear a C chord with extra colour. Put the A at the bottom and you hear a minor seventh that still wants to go somewhere. With chords like this it is the inversion, not the set of notes, that decides what you are hearing.
C6, Cmaj7 or C?
Three ways to end on C, in increasing order of decoration.
- C (C E G) - Plain. Stops dead, no colour.
- C6 (C E G A) - Colour with no half step, so it still stops dead. The swing era ending.
- Cmaj7 (C E G B) - Colour with a half step, so it keeps shimmering. The modern ending.
Common mistakes
- Confusing 6 with 13
A 6 sits on a triad with no seventh. A 13 sits on a chord that does have a seventh, usually a dominant. Same note, different chord.
- Writing 9/6
The convention is 6/9, in that order.