Bass · sixth
A♭6 Chord on Bass
Ab Major 6th is Ab, C, Eb, F — the 1-3-5-6 pattern of a sixth chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.
There is no open Ab6 on bass. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated advanced.
Start here — Root-3-5-6 Shape (3rd fret)
Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Root-3-5-6 Shape (3rd fret).
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
Ab6 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 bass.
Ab6 on Bass — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play Ab6 on bass?
“Root-3-5-6 Shape (3rd fret)” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest Ab6 shape on bass. Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones. There is no open Ab6 on bass, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.
What notes are in the Ab Major 6th chord?
Ab Major 6th is Ab, C, Eb, F — 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 Ab6?
The nearest stand-ins on bass that keep the same root are Ab5, Absus4, Absus2. 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 Ab6 on other instruments?
Yes. Ab6 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind Ab6
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.