The Chord Cookbook Compendium © 2008 Matthieu Brandt

Add 6 – Chords

Definition : A Major Triad that has an added major 6th .

This major 6th lies 9 x ½ note or 9 frets above the root of the chord
(same as 3 frets down).
Chord Formula : 1-3-5-6
Styles of Music : Jazz, Pop, Rock, Singer Songwriter, Latin, etc.
Examples : Born To Be Wild (Steppenwolf), Lenny (Stevie Ray Vaughan),
One of These Nights (The Eagles), All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan),
Ventura Highway (America).
When to use : It can replace a major or a dominant seventh chord.
It’s not as harsh as a dominant seventh chord (no tritone interval) and
in a Latin Jazz setting you’ll often find this chord next to a major 7th.
Sometimes found in upward or downward chord progressions from
maj->maj7->b7->add6 vise versa; Ordinary Pain (Stevie Wonder)
add9->maj->maj7->add6; At Seventeen (Janis Ian), Shine Silently (Nils Lofgren)
5th->add6->b7 ; Needle and the Damage Done (Neil Young)

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