The ♭6 of D is B♭
The ♭6 (flat six, written b6) of D is B♭ (B flat): a minor sixth above the root.
How to find it
Count letters first, the root included: D, E, F, G, A, B. A 6th lands on B.
Then the sound: a minor sixth is 8 semitones above D, and the B that is 8 semitones up is B♭.
That is why it is B♭ and not A♯: A♯ is the same key on the piano, but from D 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 D Aeolian (natural minor):
D · E · F · G · A · B♭ · C
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 D
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