F#6 Chord on Guitar
F#6 = F# – A# – C# – D# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 6th)
F#6 takes the familiar F# major barre at the second fret and moves just one finger: the B-string note that normally holds the fifth (C#) slides two frets higher to D#, the major sixth. Everything else about the F# major shape you already know stays put, which makes this one of the cheapest upgrades on the whole fretboard — a genuinely different-sounding chord for the price of repositioning a single finger.
Spelled F#-A#-C#-D#, the chord keeps the root doubled at both ends of the barre and the major third once in the middle, so the sixth reads as color rather than a competing bass note. That combination — a full major triad plus a bright, slightly nostalgic sixth on top — is the sound of 1940s-50s dance-band endings and western-swing turnarounds more than it is a rock or metal color; it resolves a progression without the harder pull of a seventh chord. In F# major itself the chord works as a I6 tonic substitute; it's arguably more useful as the vi-adjacent color when borrowed briefly in B major (where F# is the V), giving a dominant chord a softer landing than a plain F#.
Fingerings
Barre (2nd fret)
How to Practice It
Get F# major solid first, since F#6 is that shape with the ring or pinky finger relocated rather than a new hand shape to learn. Practice sliding just that one finger up two frets while the rest of the barre holds still — resist the urge to lift the whole hand and reset it, because the point of this fingering is that it doesn't require that. Once the slide is smooth, alternate between F# major and F#6 on each beat of a bar to build the habit of moving only what needs to move.
Common Progressions
- B – F#6 – E (I – V6 – IV in B major, softening the dominant)
- F#6 – B – F#6 (I6 – IV – I6 in F# major)
- D – F#6 – G#m (VI – I6 – ii in B major, using F#6 as a passing color)
- F#6 – E – A (borrowed V6 – IV – I in A major)
FAQ
- What's the actual difference between F# major and F#6 on guitar?
- One note: the B string moves from the second fret (C#, the fifth) to the fourth fret (D#, the major sixth), while every other string stays exactly where it is for the plain major barre.
- Is F#6 a jazz chord?
- It's associated with jazz and swing more than with rock, since 6th chords were the standard tonic-ending sound in big-band and dance-band writing before 7th-chord tonics became more common; it's a milder, more consonant color than F#maj7.
- Does F#6 ever substitute for F#maj7?
- Sometimes — both add a color tone above the plain triad, but the 6th is a consonant interval with no need to resolve, while the maj7 creates more tension against the root, so they suit different moods even in the same key.
- Why is the sixth on the B string rather than elsewhere?
- Because that's the string the E-shape's fifth normally occupies; replacing rather than adding keeps the chord a clean four-note voicing (root, third, sixth, doubled root) instead of requiring a finger on a string that's otherwise muted or open.
- Can F#6 be played without barring all six strings?
- Yes — some players drop the low E string out entirely (starting the chord from the A string) since the low root is already doubled higher up, which frees the thumb from needing to mute that string cleanly.
F#6 on other instruments: F#6 on Piano, F#6 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.