C#6 Piano Chord

C#6 is the C sharp sixth chord. It has four notes: C sharp, F, G sharp and A sharp. Three are black keys; only the F under the index finger is white. The same chord is often written Db6.

1C♯2F3G♯5A♯C4C5

C sharp at the bottom, then F, G sharp and A sharp. Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1, with only the F on a white key.

How to play C#6 on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the C♯ above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): C♯
  3. Index finger (2): F
  4. Middle finger (3): G♯
  5. Little finger (5): A♯
  6. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 3, 2, 1 an octave lower, or just C♯ on its own as a bass note.

Thumb, middle and little finger all sit on black keys, C sharp, G sharp and A sharp, with the index finger dropping to the white F between them. Keep the hand inside the keyboard and the shape falls into place.

Inversions of C#6

The same 4 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are C#6; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionF G♯ A♯ C♯
C#6 piano chord diagram, first inversion, F G♯ A♯ C♯
Lighter, with the third in the bass angling the chord toward F sharp or B flat minor. A voicing for the middle of a phrase.
Second inversionG♯ A♯ C♯ F
C#6 piano chord diagram, second inversion, G♯ A♯ C♯ F
Open, with the two black keys touching at the bottom in a soft blur. It reads as a chord in motion until a real bass note grounds it.
Third inversionA♯ C♯ F G♯
C#6 piano chord diagram, third inversion, A♯ C♯ F G♯
The pivot. With A sharp underneath, C#6 and B flat minor seventh are one sound, the exact hinge ballads in D flat swing on.

If it sounds wrong

The top note slid onto B
Falling from A sharp onto the white B gives a C#7 sound, which pulls toward F sharp. The sixth is the black key A sharp, one whole step above G sharp.
It sounds like B flat minor
C#6 shares its four notes with Bbm7. If the A sharp, which is the same key as B flat, ends up lowest, the ear hears the minor chord. Keep C sharp at the bottom.
The white F disappears
One low white key among three raised black ones gets underplayed. The F is the major third, the note that makes the chord major, so give the index finger deliberate weight.

What makes it a C#6

C♯ · F · G♯ · A♯ 1 3 5 6

C#6 is a C sharp major triad, C sharp, F and G sharp, with an A sharp added: the sixth, a whole step above the fifth. The chart spells the third E sharp; on the keyboard it is the F key, and this site names keys the way players find them.

The same four notes counted from A sharp spell Bbm7, the relative minor seventh. One handful of keys, two names, decided by the lowest note. Written as Db6, the chord is a staple of jazz and vocal keys.

C#6 vs C#maj7

One top note apart. C#6 adds A sharp, a whole step over the G sharp; C#maj7 adds C, the white key a half step under the C sharp above. The sixth settles, the seventh floats.

Hold C sharp, F and G sharp, then rock the top between A sharp and C. The A sharp version could end a standard; the C version hangs like evening light. Both live in the same three-black-key hand.

Questions about C#6

Is C#6 the same as Db6?

Yes, one chord with two spellings. Charts in flat keys write Db6; this page uses C sharp so the whole site names each root one way.

Is C#6 the same as Bbm7?

Same four notes: C sharp, F, G sharp and A sharp. C sharp in the bass makes it C#6; B flat in the bass makes it Bbm7.

What fingers do you use for C#6?

Right hand: thumb on C sharp, index on F, middle on G sharp, little finger on A sharp, which is 1, 2, 3, 5. Left hand: 5, 3, 2, 1.

Why is there an F in a C sharp chord?

Strict spelling calls the third E sharp, which is the same key as F. Chord charts and this site use the plain name so you find the right key first time.

When would I use C#6?

As the settled tonic in tunes written in D flat, under melodies resting on B flat, and anywhere a plain C sharp major sounds too bare to end on.

Chords to learn next

Other C# chords