Intervals
Major Sixth
6M · 9 semitones
Nine semitones — warm, open and unmistakably optimistic.
Also written M6 · 6M
Major Sixth
6M · 9 semitones
On the piano, from every note
| From | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| C | C – A | |
| C# | C# – A# | |
| D | D – B | |
| Eb | Eb – C | |
| E | E – C# | |
| F | F – D | |
| F# | F# – D# | |
| G | G – E | |
| Ab | Ab – F | |
| A | A – F# | |
| Bb | Bb – G | |
| B | B – G# |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Read on: number and quality · inversion · compound intervals · consonance and dissonance
Every sixth
A sixth can take these qualities, one semitone apart; choose one to see the upper note move and hear the pair.
Hear it in music
Songs that open with Major Sixth: the first two notes of each are the interval, which is how most players learn to recognise it.
My Bonnie Lies Over the OceanTraditional
The opening leap is a major sixth.
NBC ChimesTraditional
The first two notes.
Jingle Bells (bridge)Traditional
The "dashing through the snow" leap.
Scales that contain it
C MajorC · D · E · F · G · A · B
C Melodic MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · A · B
C DorianC · D · Eb · F · G · A · Bb
C LydianC · D · E · F# · G · A · B
C MixolydianC · D · E · F · G · A · Bb
C Major PentatonicC · D · E · G · A
C Major BluesC · D · Eb · E · G · A
C ChromaticC · Db · D · Eb · E · F · Gb · G · Ab · A · Bb · B
C Lydian DominantC · D · E · F# · G · A · Bb
C Half-Whole DiminishedC · Db · Eb · E · F# · G · A · Bb
In C major
- C–A
- D–B
- F–D
- G–E
Understanding Major Sixth
Names and symbols
Major Sixth is written M6, 6M: the letter is the quality, the number the size. Chord formulas on this site write the number first, as tonal does.
Seconds, thirds, sixths and sevenths come in major and minor, a semitone apart, and can be widened to augmented or narrowed to diminished. Inverting one swaps the quality: a major third becomes a minor sixth, a minor second a major seventh.
How it sounds
A major sixth spans 9 semitones: C – A. It is an imperfect consonance with a bright, generous quality — wide enough to sound open, consonant enough to sound settled.
How composers use it
Added to a major triad it produces the 6 chord, a staple of swing and of vintage pop, brighter and less directional than a major seventh. It is also the inversion of the Minor Third, so a first-inversion major triad spans a major sixth between its outer voices.
Parallel sixths are one of the oldest and most reliable ways to harmonise a melody, which is why so much folk and country singing falls into them naturally.
Learn this properly
Chapter 5: IntervalsCommon questions
- How many semitones is a Major Sixth?
- A Major Sixth spans 9 semitones: C – A. Count the semitones of any interval with the interval calculator.
- What is the inversion of a major sixth?
- The Minor Third — the two add up to an octave.
- What is a 6 chord?
- A major triad with a major sixth added above the root. It is brighter and less restless than a major seventh, which is why swing-era writing leans on it.
- How do I play Major Sixth?
- On guitar the handiest shape is Next string, B 1 · E 5, read as string and fret; the instrument panel draws it from any starting note with the other shapes. On the piano count 9 semitones up from any key, black keys included. Play the notes together for the harmonic form, one after the other for the melodic form.