Guitar · sixth
A♭6 Chord on Guitar
Ab Major 6th is Ab, C, Eb, F — the 1-3-5-6 pattern of a sixth chord. There are 2 ways to play it on guitar, ranked below from easiest to hardest.
There is no open Ab6 shape on guitar — every version sits up the neck. The one marked “A Shape Barre (11th fret)” below is the friendliest grip, so start there.
Start here — A Shape Barre (11th fret)
Sits at fret 11 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.
Every way to play it — 2 shapes, easiest first
Same chord in all of them. What changes is how much your hand has to do and where on the neck it sits.
A Shape Barre (11th fret) Way 1 of 2
A Shape Barre (11th fret)
Easiest here· intermediate· the standard shape
Sits at fret 11 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.
Movable Root-5 Shape (10th fret) Way 2 of 2
Movable Root-5 Shape (10th fret)
advanced
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.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: A Shape Barre (11th 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 guitar.
Ab6 on Guitar — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play Ab6 on guitar?
“A Shape Barre (11th fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest Ab6 shape on guitar. Sits at fret 11 — 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 Ab6 on guitar, 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.
How many ways can you play Ab6 on guitar?
This page has 2 Ab6 voicings for guitar, ranked from easiest to hardest: A Shape Barre (11th fret), Movable Root-5 Shape (10th fret). They all sound like Ab6; the differences are how hard they are to hold and how high they sit.
What can I play instead of Ab6?
The nearest stand-ins on guitar 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 piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind Ab6
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.