Bass · sixth

E♭6 Chord on Bass

Eb Major 6th is Eb, G, Bb, C — 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 Eb6 on bass. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated advanced.

Start here — Root-3-5-6 Shape (10th fret)

Sits at fret 10 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.

Press play to hear Eb6 the way this shape actually sounds.

What beginners get wrong

Moving in and out of it

The shape above: Root-3-5-6 Shape (10th fret).

Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.

Eb6 on other instruments

Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.

Guitar

E♭6 on guitar

2 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Piano

E♭6 on piano

3 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Ukulele

E♭6 on ukulele

2 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Mandolin

E♭6 on mandolin

1 voicing · easiest is intermediate

Banjo

E♭6 on banjo

1 voicing · easiest is intermediate

Or see Eb Major 6th on every instrument at once.

Chords next door

Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on bass.

E♭

Eb Major

E♭m

Eb Minor

E♭dim

Eb Diminished

E♭aug

Eb Augmented

E♭sus2

Eb Suspended 2nd

E♭sus4

Eb Suspended 4th

Eb6 on Bass — questions people ask

What is the easiest way to play Eb6 on bass?

“Root-3-5-6 Shape (10th fret)” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest Eb6 shape on bass. Sits at fret 10 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath. There is no open Eb6 on bass, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.

What notes are in the Eb Major 6th chord?

Eb Major 6th is Eb, G, Bb, C — 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 Eb6?

The nearest stand-ins on bass that keep the same root are Ebsus4, Ebsus2, Eb. 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 Eb6 on other instruments?

Yes. Eb6 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 Eb6

The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.

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