Ukulele · sixth
G6 Chord on Ukulele
G Major 6th is G, B, D, E — the 1-3-5-6 pattern of a sixth chord. There are 2 ways to play it on ukulele, ranked below from easiest to hardest.
Good news: G6 has an open shape on ukulele, so you can play it without barring anything. Start there and work up the neck later.
Start here — G6 Shape (movable) (2nd fret)
Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
Easier ways 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.
G6 Shape (movable) (2nd fret) Way 1 of 2
G6 Shape (movable) (2nd fret)
Easiest here· intermediate· the standard shape
Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
B6 Shape (movable) (9th fret) Way 2 of 2
B6 Shape (movable) (9th fret)
intermediate
Sits at fret 9 — 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: G6 Shape (movable) (2nd fret) — open position, so several strings ring unfretted — barred at fret 2.
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
G6 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 ukulele.
G6 on Ukulele — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play G6 on ukulele?
“G6 Shape (movable) (2nd fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest G6 shape on ukulele. 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 G Major 6th chord?
G Major 6th is G, B, D, E — 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 G6 on ukulele?
This page has 2 G6 voicings for ukulele, ranked from easiest to hardest: G6 Shape (movable) (2nd fret), B6 Shape (movable) (9th fret). They all sound like G6; the differences are how hard they are to hold and how high they sit.
What can I play instead of G6?
The nearest stand-ins on ukulele that keep the same root are Gsus4, Gsus2, G. 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 G6 on other instruments?
Yes. G6 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, bass, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind G6
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.