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C 6/9 (C6/9)

Download MIDI
1+3+5+6+9
CEGAD
4 4

Notes in C 6/9

C (root)EGAD

Inversions

Same notes as C 6/9, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

C in the bass

CEGAD

1st inversion

E in the bass (C6/9/E)

EGADC

2nd inversion

G in the bass (C6/9/G)

GADCE

3rd inversion

A in the bass (C6/9/A)

ADCEG

4th inversion

D in the bass (C6/9/D)

DCEGA

Open voicings

A close-position chord like C 6/9 can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

A on the bottom

ACEGD

Drop 3

G on the bottom

GCEAD

Press C, E, G, A and D together on the keyboard and you're playing C 6/9.

A major triad carrying both a sixth and a ninth, with no seventh in sight. That combination is bright and full without the pull of a dominant or major seventh chord, which makes it a favorite way to close a song on a major chord that still sounds a little more interesting than a plain triad.

Related chords

C6CCadd9Cm6/9

Difficulty: Advanced. Category: Extended chords. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.