Chords
A Minor sixth
A · C · E · F#
The minor sixth chord — a minor triad with a major sixth. Darker than it looks on paper.
Also written A-6
A Minor sixth
A · C · E · F#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | A3 · C4 · E4 · F#4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | E3 · A3 · C4 · F#4 | |
| Shell | A3 · C4 · F#4 | |
| Rootless | C4 · E4 · F#4 · B4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
A Minor sixth (Am6) contains the notes A · C · E · F#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords
Inversions
An inversion of A Minor sixth puts a chord tone other than A in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales A Minor sixth belongs to.
In which keys
A Minor sixth is diatonic to 3 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
A Minor sixth fits inside these scales, each built on A.
- A Major BluesA · B · C · C# · E · F#
- A Melodic MinorA · B · C · D · E · F# · G#
- A DorianA · B · C · D · E · F# · G
- A Half-Whole DiminishedA · Bb · C · C# · D# · E · F# · G
- A Minor Sixth PentatonicA · C · D · E · F#
- A Flat Three PentatonicA · B · C · E · F#
- A Dorian b2A · Bb · C · D · E · F# · G
- A Dorian #4A · B · C · D# · E · F# · G
Understanding the A Minor sixth chord
Names and symbols
Am6 is the chord symbol for A Minor sixth; it is also written A-6.
How it is built
On A it is A · C · E · F#, stacking 1P · 3m · 5P · 6M. A minor third with a major sixth above it, which is an unusual combination: the chord is minor but its added note is bright.
How it is used
It is the tonic of the Dorian mode and the iv of a minor key, where it is a staple of the minor cadence. It is also a favourite in film noir and in gypsy jazz, where its ambiguity suits the idiom.
Its notes are the same as the half-diminished seventh a third below, which makes it a convenient reinterpretation point.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Am6?
- Am6 contains A · C · E · F#. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What scale fits a minor sixth chord?
- Dorian, and the melodic minor — both have a minor third and a raised sixth.
- How is m6 different from m7?
- The added note is a major sixth rather than a minor seventh, which makes the chord brighter and more mobile.
- What notes are in the A Minor sixth chord?
- The A Minor sixth chord contains the notes A · C · E · F#: the root A with the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 6M stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally A, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the A Minor sixth chord?
- Measured from A, the A Minor sixth chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 6M. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.