Arpeggio · C6 · Piano
The C6 arpeggio is C – E – G – A — chord tones 1 3 5 6. C6 is a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune; its sound is open, classic, swing-era. Below, every C, E, G, A on the two-octave keyboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
Piano
Guitar · standard tuning
Play runs the arpeggio up and down one octave. 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 C |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | E | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| 5 | G | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 6 | A | major 6th (9 semitones) |
Goes with: C Major (Ionian) (C D E F G A B). Voicings: C6 voicings on piano.
Common questions
C – E – G – A. As chord tones: 1 3 5 6. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
C6 is a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune. Its character is open, classic, swing-era.
C Major (C D E F G A B) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
Play C – E – G – A ascending from C, then descend; then start from each chord tone in turn (inversions) so your hand knows the shape from any note.
Keep going
Same arpeggio on guitar · Major 6th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from C