Sixths & added
D♯ major 6th chord
Sweet and vintage — common in swing, country and classic pop.
- Notes
- D♯F𝄪A♯B♯
- Formula
- 1356
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th · major 6th
How to play D♯6
About the D♯ major 6th chord
Playing it
On guitar, D♯6 has an open-position shape, xx1013, using three fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the low E and A strings.
On piano, D♯6 has two black keys (D♯ and A♯) and two white keys.
On ukulele the usual D♯6 shape is 3333, with the index finger barring all four strings at the 3rd fret.
Related chords
D♯6 contains exactly the same notes as Cm7. Which name fits depends on which note is in the bass and what key you’re in.
Move a single note and D♯6 becomes a different chord: drop the B♯ for D♯, raise B♯ to C♯ for D♯7, swap B♯ for C𝄪 for D♯maj7 and lower F𝄪 to F♯ for D♯m6.
Where you’ll hear it
Notice the F𝄪 in D♯6 (D♯ F𝄪 A♯ B♯): each note of the chord takes its own letter (D–F–A–B), so the major 3rd has to be written F𝄪 rather than G — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
