Banjo · sixth
C6 Chord on Banjo
C Major 6th is C, E, G, A — the 1-3-5-6 pattern of a sixth chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.
Good news: C6 has an open shape on banjo, so you can play it without barring anything. Start there and work up the neck later.
Start here — Movable 6th Shape (5th fret)
Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Movable 6th Shape (5th fret) — open position, so several strings ring unfretted — barred at fret 5.
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
C6 on other instruments
Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.
Chords next door
Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on banjo.
C6 on Banjo — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play C6 on banjo?
“Movable 6th Shape (5th fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest C6 shape on banjo. Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
What notes are in the C Major 6th chord?
C Major 6th is C, E, G, A — the 1-3-5-6 interval pattern of a sixth chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
What can I play instead of C6?
The nearest stand-ins on banjo that keep the same root are Csus4, Csus2, C. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.
Can I play C6 on other instruments?
Yes. C6 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin.
Learn the theory behind C6
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.