D#6 Chord on Ukulele
D#6 = D# – G – A# – C (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 6th)
D sharp 6 asks for a genuine stretch up top even though most of its notes sit low: a small barre across the C and E strings at the third fret covers the root and the third together, the A string's first fret adds the fifth just below that, and the G string reaches all the way to the fifth fret for the sixth, well above everything else in the shape. It's a lopsided chord physically, low on three strings and noticeably higher on the fourth.
The added sixth mellows D# major the same way it mellows any major triad, trading brightness for a rounder, more relaxed lift associated with swing-era harmony. Respelled as Eb6, it belongs to the same sixth-chord vocabulary that early jazz and Tin Pan Alley songwriting leaned on constantly, a tradition the ukulele has deep historical ties to on the mainland. Compared to C#6's tidy single-fret barre or D6's equally clean full barre, D#6 is a reminder that this same elegant one-finger trick doesn't carry through every root — sometimes the sixth simply lands somewhere the barre can't reach.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Set the barre across the C and E strings at the third fret first, then the A string's first fret just below it, and treat the G string's fifth-fret reach as the final, separate addition rather than trying to include it in the same motion as the barre. Because that G-string note sits so much higher than the rest of the shape, give it a deliberate, isolated check on its own before strumming the full chord, since it's the note most likely to go unnoticed if it doesn't ring cleanly.
Common Progressions
- I - I6 alternation (D# - D#6), adding color to a static tonic
- Respelled Eb6 - Ab - Bb - Eb, the same motion in flat notation
- vi - IV - I6 (Cm - A# - D#6), landing the progression on the barred voicing
- D#6 held under a fade-out gives a D#-major arrangement a mellower final chord than the plain triad would.
FAQ
- Why does D#6 need a stretch when C#6 and D6 don't?
- Its sixth happens to fall on the G string's fifth fret rather than lining up with the barre that covers its other three notes, an accident of where that specific pitch sits relative to the open G string.
- What's the more familiar spelling for this chord?
- Eb6, part of the swing-era sixth-chord vocabulary common in early jazz and Tin Pan Alley material.
- Can D#6 substitute for plain D# major?
- Yes, almost anywhere — every note of the plain triad is present alongside the added sixth, so the underlying harmony stays untouched.
- Why is the G string's note so much higher than the rest of the shape?
- The open G string's own pitch isn't a member of this chord at all, so it has to move to the nearest fret that supplies the sixth, which happens to be the fifth fret.
- Does D#6 share notes with any other common chord?
- Yes — like C6 and Am7, D#6 shares its four pitches with Cm7, with the label depending on which note the surrounding harmony treats as the root.
- What's a good way to check this chord is fretted cleanly?
- Strum each string individually, paying particular attention to the G string's fifth-fret note, since it's the one most likely to go unnoticed if it doesn't ring clearly.
- Would D#6 make sense as a substitute for D#maj7 in a progression?
- Sometimes — both add warmth to the plain triad, though the sixth reads as rounder and less reflective than the major seventh's more distinctly jazzy shimmer, so the choice depends on which mood the passage is going for.
- Is the wide gap between this chord's low barre and its high G-string note audible?
- Genuinely, yes — the sixth rings out noticeably higher and brighter than the rest of the voicing, giving D#6 a slightly top-heavy color compared to a sixth chord whose notes sit closer together.
- Is there a simpler three-note approximation of D#6 for a quick strum?
- Some players skip the G string's fifth-fret reach entirely and let it ring open, accepting a slightly wrong-sounding extra note in a fast strum where the difference is harder for a listener to catch.
D#6 on other instruments: D#6 on Guitar, D#6 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.