Arpeggio · D6 · Guitar
The D6 arpeggio is D – F♯ – A – B — chord tones 1 3 5 6. D6 is a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune; its sound is open, classic, swing-era. Below, every D, F♯, A, B on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 5. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from D |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | F♯ | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | A | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 6 | B | major 6th (9 semitones) |
Goes with: D Major (Ionian) (D E F♯ G A B C♯). Voicings: D6 voicings on guitar.
Common questions
D – F♯ – A – B. As chord tones: 1 3 5 6. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
D6 is a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune. Its character is open, classic, swing-era.
D Major (D E F♯ G A B C♯) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
Start on the root D on the A string at fret 5 and play A-string fret 5, A-string fret 9, D-string fret 7, D-string fret 9, G-string fret 7. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then over the a tonic alternative to maj7.
Keep going
Same arpeggio on piano · Major 6th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from D