Lesson 20 · All 12 keys

6th Chord Trainer

Learn how a 6th chord is built one semitone-count at a time — a major triad plus a major 6th on top, never a 7th of any kind — then put it to work with three MIDI exercises: playing all 12 6th chords around the circle of fourths, and 5 jazz plus 5 gospel chord progressions that show off its warm, "at rest" tonic color, in every key.

How a 6th chord is built

A 6th chord is a 4-note chord — a major triad with one more note stacked on top. Unlike every chord in Lessons 13-17, that extra note is a 6th, not a 7th. Every 6th chord — in any of the 12 keys — is built the exact same way, by counting semitones to the right from a root note:

  1. Start on the root — the note that names the chord.
  2. Count 4 semitones to the right to land on the major 3rd.
  3. From there, count 3 more semitones to the right (7 semitones from the root) to land on the perfect 5th.
  4. From there, count 2 more semitones to the right (9 semitones from the root) to land on the major 6th.
Example — D 6th (D6): start on D, count 4 semitones right to reach F♯, 3 more to reach A, then 2 more to reach B. D‑F♯‑A‑B is the D6 chord. The pattern 4, 3, 2 (9 semitones total from root to top) is what makes a chord a "6th chord" — every one of the 12 6th chords is this same shape, just moved to start on a different key.
A 6th chord never pulls anywhere the way a 7th chord does — there's no ♭7th or major 7th creating tension that wants to resolve. That's exactly why jazz and gospel pianists reach for it as a warm, "at rest" color, most famously as the very last chord of a tune (I6) in place of a plain triad or a major 7th. Watch out for one mix-up: a 6th chord and a minor 7th chord built a major 6th below it share the exact same four notes — C6 (C‑E‑G‑A) is exactly the same pitch classes as Am7 (A‑C‑E‑G), just voiced from a different root. Which chord it "is" depends entirely on which note is functioning as the root in context.

Try it: pick a root and build the chord step by step

Step 1 of 4
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Chord toneNoteSemitones from rootMIDI #

All 12 6th chords at a glance

ChordRoot+4 semitones → 3rd+3 semitones → 5th+2 semitones → 6th

This MIDI exercise plays all 12 6th chords, one after another, moving around the circle of fourths — each chord's root sits a perfect 4th (5 semitones) above the last one: C → F → B♭ → E♭ → A♭ → D♭ → G♭/F♯ → B → E → A → D → G → back to C. Every chord is played as a full 4-note 6th chord (root, 3rd, 5th, and 6th together).

Chord 1 of 12
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The 12 chords, in circle-of-fourths order

#ChordRoot3rd5th6th

Five jazz chord progressions that put the 6th chord to work — mostly as a warm tonic color instead of a plain triad or major 7th. Pick a progression and play it in one key or cycle through all 12.

Key of C
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Progression in C

DegreeChordNotes

Five gospel chord progressions built the same way. Pick a progression and play it in one key or cycle through all 12.

Key of C
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Progression in C

DegreeChordNotes