D6

— About this chord

D6 (D major 6th, 1–3–5–6) softens the bright major triad with a mellow, jazzy lift, replacing tension with warmth. A staple of swing, western-swing, and singer-songwriter voicings, it also colors surf-rock and doo-wop endings with a nostalgic, "wrapped up" feel. On guitar it sits comfortably in open position with the classic x-x-0-2-0-2-style shape, and moves easily as a barre chord further up the neck. Functionally it works as a mellow substitute for the tonic major or as a gentle cadential chord, often closing a phrase instead of resolving to a plain major triad. Also known as Dmaj6.