B6 Chord on Ukulele
B6 = B – D# – F# – G# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 6th)
The sixth degree that defines B6, G#, ends up at the very bottom of this shape rather than the top: it's the G string's first fret, the lowest fret used anywhere in the voicing, while the middle finger climbs to the C string's third fret and a two-string barre with the ring finger handles the E and A strings at the second fret. That flips the usual hand logic of the B-family shapes, where the lowest-numbered fret is normally left open rather than carrying the chord's most distinctive note.
G# doesn't just color this chord — it's the root of B major's own relative minor, which means B6 quietly carries a hint of that darker key inside a chord that never stops sounding major. Swing-era arrangers leaned on exactly this kind of ambiguity to close a phrase with more sophistication than a flat triad allows, and B6 fills that same role as the I chord in the key of B, letting a progression resolve while still leaving something unfinished in the air. That shared root also explains why some players treat B6 and G#m7 as loosely interchangeable on paper, even though naming the chord around B versus around G# points the ear toward two genuinely different harmonic centers. Because every note in this shape is fretted rather than left open, B6 carries a slightly more contained warmth than the sixth chords built lower on the neck elsewhere in this instrument's chord vocabulary.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Anchor the index finger on the G string's first fret before anything else, since it's both the lowest and the easiest of the four notes to place cleanly, then bring in the barre across the E and A strings at the second fret, and finally stretch the middle finger up to the C string's third fret last. With no open string anywhere in this shape to fall back on, pluck all four notes individually first, watching the G string in particular, since a lightly seated index finger buzzes easily at such a low fret. Trading off between B6 and G#m7 by ear is worth the time, since it's a direct lesson in how one physical shape can point toward two different roots. Once the shape feels secure, try resolving from B major straight into B6 by lifting the ring finger off the fourth fret and adding the index finger's low G-string note instead, since that's a common way this color chord gets introduced mid-phrase.
Common Progressions
- I6, a closing color substituting for a plain tonic (B6 ending a phrase)
- I – IV – I6 (B – E – B6, adding color to a repeated tonic)
- I6 – ii – V – I (B6 – C#m – F#7 – B)
- B6 is sometimes interchanged in voicing with G#m7, its relative-minor-flavored cousin.
FAQ
- Why does B6 put its lowest note on the G string?
- The added sixth, G#, happens to sit at the G string's first fret, the lowest fret in the whole shape, a different arrangement from chords where the added color note ends up on a higher string instead.
- What gives B6 its distinctive character?
- It borrows G#, the root of its own relative minor key, and folds that note into an otherwise plain major triad, which is the specific trick behind the wistful, not-quite-final color a sixth chord adds.
- Is B6 the same chord as G#m7?
- Not quite — the two overlap in pitch content, but which note the ear treats as home differs: call it B6 and the progression resolves around B, call the identical notes G#m7 and the resolution points toward G# instead.
- What's the trickiest part of the B6 shape to get clean?
- The G string's low first-fret note, since it's easy for a lightly placed index finger to buzz there, especially while the rest of the hand is occupied with the barre and the higher middle-finger reach.
- How does B6 compare to Bb6 in terms of hand position on the neck?
- Bb6's added sixth lands on the open G string with no fingering needed at all, while B6's equivalent sixth needs a fretted first-fret note instead, since a whole-step shift up the neck moves that particular note off the open string entirely.
- Why might an arranger choose B6 over Bmaj7 when both add color to a plain B triad?
- The two convey noticeably different moods despite both dressing up the same tonic — B6's borrowed minor-key shading reads as wistful or nostalgic, while Bmaj7's lingering major seventh reads as glowing and unresolved, so the choice comes down to which color actually fits the passage.
B6 on other instruments: B6 on Guitar, B6 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.