The ♭6 of C is A♭
The ♭6 (flat six, written b6) of C is A♭ (A flat): a minor sixth above the root.
How to find it
Count letters first, the root included: C, D, E, F, G, A. A 6th lands on A.
Then the sound: a minor sixth is 8 semitones above C, and the A that is 8 semitones up is A♭.
That is why it is A♭ and not G♯: G♯ is the same key on the piano, but from C it would be a 5th, not a 6th.
Where you meet it
The ♭6 is the 6th of the natural minor scale, and the root of ♭VI, a chord major keys often borrow from their minor.
In the scale C Aeolian (natural minor):
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
The ♭6 in every key
| Key | The ♭6 |
|---|---|
| C | A♭ |
| G | E♭ |
| D | B♭ |
| A | F |
| E | C |
| B | G |
| F♯ | D |
| D♭ | B𝄫 |
| A♭ | F♭ |
| E♭ | C♭ |
| B♭ | G♭ |
| F | D♭ |
Every degree of C
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