A#6 Chord on Guitar
A#6 = A# – D – F – G (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 6th)
A#6 — almost always called Bb6 on a chart, since flat keys are the norm for this pitch — sits at the sixth fret as an E-shape barre, roughly a quarter of the way up a standard neck. Reaching it means adding one finger onto the D string beyond what the plain A#/Bb major barre already asks for.
Stack a major sixth on top of the A#-D-F triad and the notes read A#, D, F, G. Those same four pitches, read from a different starting point, spell Gm7, so this shape and a G-minor-seventh barre are physically distinct fingerings that nonetheless produce identical harmony — a useful thing to know when a chart calls for one and a player only has the other comfortably under their fingers. As a tonic substitute in Bb major, A#6 does the same softening job A6 does in A major: it takes the edge off a full stop on the I chord, leaving a trace of ambiguity about whether the harmony has settled on the major tonic or drifted toward its relative minor's world.
Fingerings
Barre (6th fret)
How to Practice It
Finger plain A#/Bb major first, then add only the sixth-fret D-string note for A#6, and go back and forth to isolate exactly what changes — it's a single added tone, nothing more. Because Gm7 shares every pitch with this chord, spend a minute deliberately naming it both ways while playing the same shape; that habit pays off quickly once minor-seventh harmony starts showing up in the same songs that use this sixth chord.
Common Progressions
- Eb – A#6 – Cm – F (IV – I6 – ii – V in Bb major)
- A#6 – Eb – A#6 (a softened I – IV – I)
- Gm – A#6 – Eb – F (vi – I6 – IV – V)
- A# – A#6 – Eb (brightening the tonic before the subdominant)
FAQ
- Why is this chord almost always written Bb6 instead of A#6?
- Flat spelling is the practical convention for this pitch in nearly every key context guitarists actually encounter it in, so charts default to Bb even though A# is the technically equivalent sharp name.
- What notes make up A#6/Bb6?
- A#, D, F, and G — a major triad (root, third, fifth) with a major sixth added on top.
- Why do A#6 and Gm7 sound identical?
- They share the exact same four notes; the only difference is which one is treated as the root, so a chart calling for Gm7 in a passage centered on Bb major can sometimes be played as A#6 instead without changing the sound at all.
- Where does this chord sit on the neck?
- At the sixth fret, built from the E-shape major barre with one extra note added for the sixth.
- Is A#6 much harder than plain A#/Bb major?
- No — it's the same barre with one additional finger reaching the sixth on the D string, so anyone comfortable with the plain major barre picks it up quickly.
- When would a guitarist choose A#6 over a plain Bb major chord?
- Right at a cadence point where a full, unambiguous major resolution feels too final — the added sixth leaves a touch of unresolved color that many arrangers prefer for a softer landing.
- Does A#6 ever get used deliberately in place of Gm7 on a chart?
- Yes, when a passage is clearly centered on Bb major, a guitarist may choose the A#6 fingering specifically to keep Bb sounding in the bass, even though the notes played are identical to Gm7.
- What's the quickest way to hear the difference between A# major and A#6?
- Play them back to back and listen for the single new pitch, G, ringing on top — everything else in the chord stays exactly the same.
- Is there a lower-position way to play A#6?
- Yes — an A-shape barre at the very first fret reaches the same A#/Bb root with the sixth added nearby, and many players find that low position easier than the sixth-fret E-shape used here, since the frets are wider apart down near the nut.
- How does A#6 compare to plain A6 a fret below it?
- The two chords share an identical shape and an identical relationship to their own relative minor-seventh chord, just transposed one fret apart, so anyone comfortable sliding between the A and A#/Bb barres already understands how the two sixth chords relate.
- Does the added sixth change how the chord should be strummed?
- Not really — A#6 takes an ordinary strum just fine, since the sixth blends into the chord's overall color rather than acting as a melodic note that needs to ring out on its own.
- Why is the sixth chord more associated with older pop and jazz than contemporary rock?
- Sixth chords carry a vintage, big-band-era color that mid-20th-century pop and jazz leaned on heavily, while contemporary rock reaches more often for plain triads or power chords, so A#6 can sound distinctly retro if dropped carelessly into a modern arrangement.
- Does spelling this chord as A# instead of Bb change how it's played?
- Not at all — the fretboard doesn't know or care which name is used; A#6 and Bb6 are exactly the same shape and the same sound, and the choice between them is purely about which is easier to read on the page.
A#6 on other instruments: A#6 on Piano, A#6 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.