B69

B69 is B, D#, F#, G# and C#, a six-nine. The shape this page opens on is written x21122, lowest string first.

Note by note. B is the root, D# is the major third, F# is the fifth, G# is the sixth and C# is the ninth.

Also written B6/9, B6add9 or B six nine. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for B69 on the guitar, and 38 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of B69 and you have Bmaj9 (with one note moved), Bmaj13 (with one note added), Bm69 (with one note moved), Badd9 (with one note taken away), B6 (with one note taken away) or B9 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of B69 belongs to C# minor (the ♭VII), Eb minor (the ♭VI), E major (the V), F# major (the IV), Ab minor (the ♭III) and B major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x21122, x44444, 766677, xx9899, x99899, x-11-11-11-12-11, x-14-11-13-12-11, x-14-13-13-14-14.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for B69 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 7 of the 8 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 14th.

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. B69 has x2112x, 7666xx, xx9899, x-14-13-13-14-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. B69 has x2112x, x4644x, 7666xx, xx9899, x-x-11-13-12-11, x-14-13-13-14-x, xx1424, 4414xx.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. B69 has 4x142x, x4x444, 7x664x, x6x697, 9x989x, x-11-x-8-12-9, x-14-x-13-14-11, 11-x-11-13-12-x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. B69 has xx1122, xx4644, x6667x, x-x-11-11-9-11, x-x-13-13-14-14, x4414x, x4x142, x6x674.

Tensions. A shell of B69, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (E#).

What kind of chord this is. B69 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.