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