C♯6 chord
C♯6 is C♯, E♯, G♯ and A♯: 1–3–5–6 built on C♯. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
x-4-3-3-6-4 · partial barre · medium
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · A♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
- First shape
- x-4-3-3-6-4
C♯6 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · C♯–E♯–G♯–A♯ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · A♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
C♯6 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-1-1-1 · movable · medium
- Notes
- C♯ · E♯ · G♯ · A♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
- First shape
- 1-1-1-1
Changing out of C♯6
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- C♯6 → F♯ (IV in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯6 (x-4-3-3-6-4) to F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 4th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Shared notes: C♯ and A♯.
Piano: C♯6 to F♯: play F♯ in 2nd inversion (C♯–F♯–A♯) and C♯ and A♯ stay under the same fingers, while E♯ moves up to F♯. F♯ - C♯6 → A♭ (V in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯6 (x-4-3-3-6-4) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 5th fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share G♯, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: C♯6 to A♭: play A♭ in 1st inversion (C–E♭–A♭) and A♭ stays under the same finger, while C♯ moves down to C and C♯ up to E♭. A♭ - C♯6 → B♭m (vi in D♭ major)
Guitar: C♯6 (x-4-3-3-6-4) to B♭m (x-1-3-3-2-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the B string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the D string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. C♯, E♯ and A♯ carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: C♯6 to B♭m: play B♭m in 1st inversion (D♭–F–B♭) and D♭, F and B♭ stay under the same fingers. B♭m
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, C6 shape; capo 4, A6 shape; capo 6, G6 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, C6 shape; capo 6, G6 shape.
How C♯6 is built
C♯6 is C♯ major with a major sixth added. It sounds sweet and a little vintage, the classic last chord of a swing tune, and it shares all its notes with A♯m7.
Count keys (black and white) from C♯: 4 half steps up to E♯, 3 half steps up to G♯ then 2 half steps up to A♯. You may also see it as D♭6: same keys, same frets.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | root | 0 | |
| E♯ | major third | 4 | |
| G♯ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| A♯ | major sixth | 9 |
Keys and progressions with C♯6
No major or natural minor key contains C♯6 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
Chords close to C♯6
- C♯6 is C♯ plus A♯. C♯
Chords that share most of their notes with C♯6: B♭m7, C♯, B♭m, C♯7, C♯maj7, C♯add9.
Every C♯ chord
C♯6 chord: questions
What notes are in the C♯6 chord?
C♯, E♯, G♯ and A♯. C♯6 is built 1–3–5–6 from C♯: E♯ is the major third, G♯ is the perfect fifth and A♯ is the major sixth.
How do you play C♯6 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-4-3-3-6-4 (partial barre). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play C♯6 on piano?
Play C♯, E♯, G♯ and A♯ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. C♯ sits on the black key between C and D. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play C♯6 on ukulele?
1-1-1-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is C♯6 in?
No major or natural minor key contains C♯6 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
What's the difference between C♯6 and C♯?
C♯6 is C♯ plus A♯.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.