Ab6

Ab6 is Ab, C, Eb and F, a major sixth. The shape this page opens on is written x31111, lowest string first.

Note by note. Ab is the root, C is the major third, Eb is the fifth and F is the sixth.

Also written Abmaj6, AbM6 or Ab major 6. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Ab6 on the guitar, and 27 derived voicings in 3 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Ab6 and you have Ab (with one note taken away), Abmaj7 (with one note moved), Abm6 (with one note moved), Abadd9 (with one note moved), Ab69 (with one note added) or Ab7 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Ab6 belongs to C minor (the ♭VI), C# major (the V), Eb major (the IV), F minor (the ♭III), Ab major (the I) and Bb minor (the ♭VII).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x31111, 433111, 131141, 4x354x, 4x6564, 46x564, xx6868, x-11-10-10-9-x, x-11-13-13-13-13.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Ab6 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 4 of the 9 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 13th.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Ab6 has 433xxx, x-11-10-10-x-x, 4x35xx, x-11-x-10-13-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Ab6 has xx1111, 1311xx, xx3544, x6656x, xx6868, 8868xx, x-8-10-8-9-x, x-x-10-10-9-11.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Ab6 has x3x141, 1x111x, 4x354x, x6x564, 8x686x, x8x898, 11-x-10-10-9-x, x-11-x-10-13-11.

Tensions. A shell of Ab6, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (Bb) and the #11 (D).

What kind of chord this is. Ab6 is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. major chords on every root, and what they are for.

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.