Arpeggio · G6 · Guitar
The G6 arpeggio is G – B – D – E — chord tones 1 3 5 6. G6 is a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune; its sound is open, classic, swing-era. Below, every G, B, D, E 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 3. 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 G |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | B | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | D | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 6 | E | major 6th (9 semitones) |
Goes with: G Major (Ionian) (G A B C D E F♯). Voicings: G6 voicings on guitar.
Common questions
G – B – D – E. As chord tones: 1 3 5 6. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
G6 is a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune. Its character is open, classic, swing-era.
G Major (G A B C D E F♯) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
Start on the root G on the low E string at fret 3 and play E-string fret 3, E-string fret 7, A-string fret 5, A-string fret 7, D-string fret 5. 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 G