Major 6 and minor 6 chords are less common in lead sheets and chord charts nowadays than they were back in the 1950s and 1960s. However, they continue to be found in lead sheets and chord charts, so we'll cover them here. Although it's pretty much common practice to substitute major 7 chords for major 6 and minor 7 chords for minor 6, it is still necessary to have these voicings under control so that you know what to do when you encounter them.
There are several unique characteristics found in major 6 and minor 6 chords.
- Major or minor 6 chords are made up of triads with added sixths, but no seventh.
- Major or minor 6 chords can be seen as specific inversions of specific minor 7 or minor 7(5) chords
- Major or minor 6 chords, since they don't have sevenths, provide a more stable sound, helpful in defining the home base of key.
Root Position
|
First Inversion
|
Second Inversion
|
Third Inversion
|
A
|
C (Root)
|
E
|
G
|
G
|
A
|
C (Root)
|
E
|
E
|
G
|
A
|
C (Root)
|
C (Root)
|
E
|
G
|
A
|
Looking at the third inversion, you'll see the notes of an Amin7 chord. C6 can be seen as a re-shuffling of the notes of Amin7.
For the drop-2 voicings with C in the bass, we'll use the second inversion. For the drop-3 voicings, we'll use the third inversion of C6.
Here are the drop-2 and drop-3 voicings for C6.
Cmin6 (C minor 6) consists of a minor triad with an added 6. Spelling a Cmin6 in all inversions:
Root Position
|
First inversion
|
Second inversion
|
Third inversion
|
A
|
C (Root)
|
E
|
G
|
G
|
A
|
C (Root)
|
E
|
E
|
G
|
A
|
C (Root)
|
C (Root)
|
E
|
G
|
A
|
Looking at the third inversion, you'll see the notes of an Amin7(5) chord. Cmin6 can be seen as a re-shuffling of the notes of Amin7(5).
For the drop-2 voicings with C in the bass, we'll use the second inversion. For the drop-3 voicings, we'll use the third inversion of C6.
Here are the drop-2 and drop-3 voicings for Cmin6.
Having worked with the major and minor 6 chords, we have completed all of the basic chords for Chords 101. All that's left, other than lots of working out on the chords we've learned, is to begin to learn about adding tensions and "alterations" to dominant chords. We'll be building on what we already know. Let's look at the standard scale for use on dominant chords, Mixolydian. This scale is similar to the diatonic major scale, but with 7 instead of major 7.
When you add tensions, such as the 9 or 13, to the chord, you are adding color to the chord's sound. In the jazz and blues tradition, tensions are most frequently added to dominant 7 chords. Listen to these voicings with the 9 and 13 added.
Beginning with a C9 chord, let's look at the function of each chord tone in the voicing.
From the fifth string up:
String
|  |  |  |  |
Note
|
C
|
E
|
B
|
D
|
Function
|
Root
|
3
|
7
|
9
|
Please note that there is no fifth in this voicing. As we learned, the third and sevenths are the most defining voices in a chord, and the fifth of a chord isn't essential to the chord sound unless it's chromatically altered in some way. Since the fifth isn't altered, it doesn't have to be included. For a C7(9) voicing, take the 9 found on the second string and raise it one half-step (one fret), making it D. There is a beautifully dissonant interval to be found between the E on the fourth string and the D on the second string. Notice how this dissonance makes the dominant chord more interesting—it gives it "color."
From the fifth string up
String
| | | | |
Note
|
C
|
E
|
B
|
D
|
Function
|
Root
|
3
|
7
|
9
|
Let's talk a bit more about what alterations are. If you remember back to the music theory primer, you'll recall that we learned that scales have seven notes, then they hit the octave—the same pitch, only higher. We numbered each note in the scale from 1 to 7. Though the note names alphabetically started over again once you hit the octave, you'll notice that the numbering did not. Instead, it continued to climb 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13…
When you add notes such as the 9, 11, or 13 to the chord, you are altering it. Alterations are most frequently added to the dominant 7 chord and they are added to make the chord sound more interesting—what we might call adding "color" to the chord sound.
Again, from the fifth string up:
String
| | | | |
Note
|
C
|
E
|
B
|
D
|
Function
|
Root
|
3
|
7
|
9
|
In musical styles influenced by jazz, 9 and 9 are interchangeable—meaning, if the 9 is flatted or sharped in the chord symbol, you really may play either one. It has become common practice to play either of the altered 9ths due to the way that the chord resolves, usually to the minor chord found a Perfect-5 below. In this case, C7 99 resolves to F minor. Please listen to the following example, noticing the melodic line that results from D to D to C, the fifth of the F minor.
Sharp 11 (11) and 5 are enharmonic equivalents. That means that they are the same note, only with different names, as shown below. On a G7 chord, the 11 is C, and the 5 is D. C and D are, for our purposes, the same note. It's easier for most guitarists to think of these voicings as the same thing.
Flat 13 (13) and 5 are enharmonic equivalents. That means, they are the same note with a different name. For example, with a G7 chord, the 5 is D and the 13 is E. D and E are the same note. It's worth mentioning that there's no such thing as "13," as that would be the enharmonic equivalent of 7. It is not common practice to use 13.
