Sixth’s are a form of double stops. The 2nd note is simply 6 degrees higher than the 1st note.
This is one of my favorite double stops to apply to my rhythm playing as well as soloing.
The best way to play this interval is to skip a string and play either an “in-line” pattern or an “off-set” pattern.
Below is an illustration of 6th’s played on the 1st & 3rd, and 4th & 2nd string groupings.
The only exception I usually play is from the root of the chord I’m on. A 6th up from “A” is “F# ” and this would sound fine, however I usually play a minor 7th interval instead which is part of the dominant 7 chord – “G”
Below I’m demonstrating 6th’s based on the notes of an A7 chord.
Using chord tones work great because the 6th is also in the chord with the root being the exception as previously stated.
E |-2----3----5----7----9----10----12----14--------| B |--------------------—---------------------------| G |-2----4----6----7----9----11----12----14--------| D |------------------------------------------------| A |------------------------------------------------| E |------------------------------------------------|
E |————————————————|
B |-2—-3—-5—-7—-8—-10—-12—-14——–|
G |————————————————|
D |-2—-4—-5—-7—-9—-10—-12—-14——–|
A |————————————————|
E |————————————————|
Want To Learn More …
In my experience with guitarist I found a lot of newer players assume that learning how to play country guitar is much easier than other types.
Reality is that this couldn’t be further from the truth. It actually requires a lot of practice and dedication to get to a level to play comfortably.
If you sit and listen to some real country songs you may be able to hear difficult picking patterns that require a lot of skill to play.
Country is one genre of guitar that I like to tell students to really immerse themselves into all types of country music to get a real feeling or how the music should be played.