A6 Chord on Ukulele
A6 = A – C# – E – F# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 6th)
A6 adds the sixth degree, F#, to A major's triad, producing a four-note chord that uses all four ukulele fingers on four separate frets: the G string at the second fret, the C string at the fourth fret, the E string at the second fret, and the A string at the fourth fret. It's the most physically demanding shape in the A family covered here, since no two fingers share a fret and the stretch spans from fret two to fret four across non-adjacent strings.
A sixth chord occupies a curious harmonic middle ground: F# is also the sixth degree of A major's scale and the root of its relative minor, so A6 carries a faint minor-key coloring inside an otherwise major chord, without ever losing its major-third identity. This is exactly why sixth chords became a signature closing sound in swing-era and early jazz-influenced ukulele repertoire — A6 resolves a progression while still leaving a slightly unresolved, sophisticated color hanging over it, quite unlike the flat finality of a plain major triad. Functionally it substitutes for A major as the I chord in the key of A, and because F# is also the relative minor's root, some players and arrangers treat A6 as interchangeable in spelling (though not in bass emphasis) with F#m7, since the two chords share three of their four notes.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Build this one finger at a time rather than attempting to drop all four simultaneously: start with the index finger on the E string's second fret, add the ring finger on the G string's second fret, then bring in the middle and pinky fingers for the C and A strings' fourth-fret notes last, since those two are the widest stretch from the anchor pair. Keep the fretting-hand thumb low and centered behind the neck — a thumb creeping over the top is the most common reason players can't comfortably reach both fret-four notes at once. Because this shape has no open strings at all, check each of the four notes individually for buzz before trying it in a strum, since a shape this dense hides a weak finger more easily than a two- or three-finger chord would.
Common Progressions
- I6 substitutes for plain I as a closing chord (A6 as the final chord of a phrase)
- I – IV – I6 (A – D – A6, adding color to a repeated tonic)
- I6 – ii – V – I (A6 – Bm – E7 – A)
- A6 is sometimes interchanged in voicing with F#m7, its relative-minor-flavored cousin.
FAQ
- Why does A6 need all four ukulele fingers?
- Unlike most open-position ukulele chords, A6 has no open string among its four notes, so each of the four fingers must cover one fretted string, spanning frets two through four.
- What gives A6 its jazzy character?
- Its added sixth, F#, is also the root of A major's relative minor, so the chord carries a faint minor-key shading inside a major triad — a color long associated with swing-era closing chords.
- Is A6 the same as F#m7?
- They share three of four notes and can sound similar in a mix, but they're not identical — A6 emphasizes A as its root and functional center, while F#m7 emphasizes F#, even when the fretted shapes overlap.
- What's the best way to check an A6 shape is clean?
- Pluck each of the four strings individually before strumming, since with no open strings to fall back on, a single weak or buzzing finger is easy to miss inside a full strum.
A6 on other instruments: A6 on Guitar, A6 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.