Understand and Play the E 6 Guitar Chord with Interactive Charts

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Beyond a plain E major triad, the E major sixth chord (E6) adds just one note, the sixth, C#. The full spelling is E, G#, B and C#: root, major third, fifth and major sixth.

Nine voicings are mapped out here, four of them with open strings and three using a barre. The E major pentatonic scale contains the root, third, fifth and sixth, so it follows the chord closely. For further ways to use this sound, see 6th chord voicings.

Set a tempo in the chord player above, start the drums and play E6 along with the loop.

E major 6th guitar chord is also written as E6, Emaj6, EM6 or Eadd6.

Notes in the E 6 chord:

E G# B C#

How to create the Major Sixth chord:

Formula: 1 3 5 6

E 6 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Open

Finger Positions

Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 2 of the B string

Position 2 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the B string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 6 of the D string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 7 of the A string

Position 3 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D, G, B and high E strings at the same time

Position 4 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the G string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the A string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 11 of the D string

Position 5 Open

Finger Positions

Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
Mute the D string
Mute the G string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 4 of the A string

Position 6 Open

Finger Positions

Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 2 of the B string

Position 7 Barre Open

Finger Positions

Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
Mute the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D, G, B and high E strings at the same time

Position 8 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 12 of the high E string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 13 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 14 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 14 of the B string

Position 9 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D, G, B and high E strings at the same time

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C 6 | D 6 | E 6 | F 6 | G 6 | A 6 | B 6 | C#6 | D#6 | F#6 | G#6 | A#6 | Ab6 | Bb6 | Db6 | Eb6 | Gb6

Want to Learn Everything About Chords?

Check Chords Domination out: a unique ebook that shows you finger positions, note names and intervals in the chords (plus a tones fretboard maps)

You'll learn how to play 44 chords types across all the fretboard, with many voicings and fingerings

In the ebook you can also find maps show you the tones in a chord all along the fretboard. They are incredibly helpful because allow you to:

Create new voicings on the fly, across all the neck
Improvise targeting the right notes
Unlock the fretboard and expand the CAGED system.

In the new ebook, Chords Domination, you'll find the fretboard tones maps for 44 different qualities of chords. Check it out:

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

Which notes are in E major sixth?

E major sixth contains E, G#, B and C#. C# is the major sixth, nine semitones up from E, on top of the E major triad.

How many ways are there to play E6?

E6 has 9 voicings, 4 of them with open strings and 3 with a barre. The highest one reaches the 14th fret.

Which scale goes with E6?

The E major pentatonic scale: E, F#, G#, B, C#. All four chord tones are in it, with F# as the only extra note.

What is the difference between E6 and E major?

E major is E, G#, B. E6 adds the major sixth, C#, nine semitones up from the root, so it has four notes instead of three.