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New Released in April 2026
Augmented Sixth Chords Made Simple: Italian, French, German
Augmented sixth chords are built around two notes that pull apart toward the same note. In C, Ab wants to fall to G and F# wants to rise to G. Put those two in a chord and you get an augmented sixth, the strongest way to land on V.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
The three flavours in C
- Italian sixth: Ab C F#. Just the two pulling notes plus C.
- French sixth: Ab C D F#. Add D for a slightly whole-tone sound.
- German sixth: Ab C Eb F#. Add Eb; it sounds exactly like Ab7.
Where they go
All three resolve to the dominant: Ab falls to G in the bass and F# rises to G on top, an octave apart. The German sixth often goes first to a C chord with G in the bass (I6/4) and then to G, because going straight to G would make two voices move in parallel fifths.
Augmented Sixth Chords Made Simple: Italian, French, German
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps.
Play the demoWhy the German sixth sounds familiar
Ab C Eb F# is spelled like Ab7 with Gb written as F#. Pop and jazz players use Ab7 to G7 or Ab7 to G all the time, the same sound with a different name. Once you hear it, you will notice it at the end of many phrases.
Play the pull
Play Ab7, then G, then C, slowly, and listen to the outer voices squeeze into G. Then type it as a progression in ChordRunner, Ab7 G7 C, and it loops while you play it on a MIDI keyboard or a piano near the microphone (advanced feature in ChordRunner Premium).
The levels in ChordRunner
- Beginner: major, minor, augmented and diminished chords.
- Intermediate: adds sus2 and sus4.
- Advanced: adds 6th, 7th and 9th chords.
- Pro: adds 11th, 13th and altered chords; an adaptive mode adds the next family when you are ready.
Common questions
What is an augmented sixth chord?
A chord containing the interval of an augmented sixth, like Ab up to F# in C. The two notes move outward by half step to the dominant note G.
What is a French sixth chord?
The augmented sixth chord with an added 2nd degree. In C it is Ab C D F#.
What is the difference between German sixth and a dominant 7th?
Same sound, different spelling and job. Ab C Eb F# (German sixth) goes to G; Ab C Eb Gb (Ab7) would normally go to Db.
Which instruments work?
A USB MIDI keyboard, detected automatically, or a piano or guitar through the microphone. Everything runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer, tablet or phone.
How is this different from apps where you tap the screen?
Tapping trains your eyes and fingers on glass. Here you press real keys or fret real strings, and the game hears the actual notes, so what you practise is exactly what you will play on your instrument.
Is everything in the demo?
The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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