C#6 Chord on Guitar
C#6 = C# – F – G# – A# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 6th)
Nine frets up the neck is where the E-shape barre lands C#6, deep enough into the fretboard's upper half that string tension has noticeably slackened compared to open position, even while the fret spacing itself has drawn tighter. Guitarists rarely go looking for a home-key chord this far from the nut, so C#6 tends to appear less as a tonic destination and more as a passing color inside a progression already living up in this part of the neck.
C#, F, G#, and B# — more usefully thought of as C#, F, G#, and C — spell the chord: a plain major triad with a sixth stacked above it. That sixth is what keeps the sound from feeling as final as a plain major chord does, giving it the same rounded, unresolved warmth found in older big-band and swing guitar comping. There's an added wrinkle worth knowing: C#6 shares its exact four notes with A# minor 7 built from a different root, so a bassist or second guitarist emphasizing A# instead of C# can turn this identical shape into a completely different-sounding chord without a single fretted note changing.
Fingerings
Barre (9th fret)
How to Practice It
At the ninth fret the main obstacle is precision rather than strength — string tension this far up requires less barre pressure than the same shape does near the nut, but the frets themselves sit closer together, so a finger landing a hair off target buzzes far more readily than it would down low. It helps to approach this chord by sliding up from the seventh or eighth fret rather than jumping straight to the ninth, since that small approach distance builds the accuracy this position demands.
Common Progressions
- C#6 – A#m7 – D#m7 – G#7 (I6 – vi7 – ii7 – V7, leaning on the shared notes with A#m7)
- F# – G# – C#6 (IV – V – I6, landing softer than a plain tonic)
- C#6 – F#6 – G#7 – C#6 (I6 – IV6 – V7 – I6)
- A#m7 – C#6 – D#7 – G#7 (vi7 – I6 – II7 – V7)
FAQ
- Why does C#6 sit so far up the neck?
- The movable shape is anchored to the open E6 fingering, and since C# sits above E by nine semitones, the barre has to travel that same distance up the neck before the low string lands on the right root.
- Is C#6 really interchangeable with A# minor 7?
- The two chords share every one of their four notes, just organized around different roots, so while a chart would distinguish them by name, a listener often can't tell which one is 'really' being played unless the bass note makes the root clear.
- Is there an easier way to get a C#-rooted 6th chord sound?
- Yes — a partial voicing built from a lower-position open shape reaches the same core color with far less of a stretch than the full ninth-fret barre demands.
- Why would a guitarist reach for C#6 instead of a plain C# major chord?
- The sixth softens the triad's finality, giving phrases a gentler landing point than a bare major chord provides, which is exactly the effect swing and jazz rhythm players are after when a progression needs to breathe rather than snap shut.
- Does the ninth-fret position change how the chord actually sounds?
- Slightly — strings ring with less sustain and a brighter, more compressed tone this far up compared to the same chord shape played lower on the neck, since the vibrating string length is shorter.
- How does C#6 compare in difficulty to the eighth-fret C6 chord one root below it?
- The shape and technique are identical; only the target fret changes by one, so a player who's comfortable with C6 will find C#6 asks nothing new beyond hitting a slightly higher, marginally tighter position.
- Does the C#6 shape ever get simplified for players who can't yet manage a full barre?
- Yes — dropping the low and high E strings entirely and playing just the middle four leaves the same essential root-third-fifth-sixth color intact while removing the need to barre the outer strings cleanly.
C#6 on other instruments: C#6 on Piano, C#6 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.