Sextet

For the Mae West film with a similar name, see Sextette.

A sextet is a formation containing exactly six members. It is commonly associated with vocal or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six similar or related objects are considered a single unit.

Many musical compositions are named for the number of musicians for which they are written. If a piece is written for six performers, it may be called a "sextet". Steve Reich's "Sextet" is written for six percussionists.

In jazz music a sextet is any group of six players, usually containing a drum set (bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, ride cymbal), string bass or electric bass, piano, and various combinations of the following or other instruments: guitar, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, trombone.

In heavy metal and rock music, a sextet typically contains, but is not restricted to, a lead vocalist, two guitarists, a bassist, drummer, and keyboardist.

String sextets

See String sextet

Piano sextets

See Piano sextet

Sextets in rock, heavy metal, and hip hop

• The Allman Brothers Band
• Bleeding Through
• Chimaira
• Cradle of Filth
• Dark Tranquillity (since 1998)
• Despised Icon
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Dimmu Borgir
• DragonForce
• Electric Six
• Foreigner
• Forever in Terror
• Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
• Guns N' Roses
• Ill Niño
• INXS
• Iron Maiden (since 1999)
• Jefferson Airplane
• Kansas
• King Crimson
• King Diamond (since 2003)
• Lacuna Coil
• Leaves' Eyes
• Linkin Park
• Mink DeVille
• Nappy Roots
• Neurosis
• Procol Harum
• Pussycat Dolls (2003–2008, 2008-2010 quintet, currently unknown members)
• Rammstein
• Soilwork
• Styx
• Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky
• Underoath
• Whitechapel
• Whitesnake

Other sextets

• Erno von Dohnanyi
  • Sextet for Clarinet, Horn, String Trio, and Piano

• Krzysztof Penderecki
  • Sextet for Clarinet, Horn, String Trio, and Piano