Chords
Ab Minor sixth
Ab · Cb · Eb · F
The minor sixth chord — a minor triad with a major sixth. Darker than it looks on paper.
Also written Ab-6
Ab Minor sixth
Ab · Cb · Eb · F
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · Cb3 · Eb4 · F4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Cb3 · Eb3 · Ab3 · F4 | |
| Shell | Ab3 · Cb3 · F4 | |
| Rootless | Cb4 · Eb4 · F4 · Bb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab Minor sixth (Abm6) contains the notes Ab · Cb · Eb · F, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords
Inversions
An inversion of Ab Minor sixth puts a chord tone other than Ab in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Ab Minor sixth belongs to.
In which keys
Ab Minor sixth is diatonic to 3 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Ab Minor sixth fits inside these scales, each built on Ab.
- Ab Major BluesAb · Bb · Cb · C · Eb · F
- Ab Melodic MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · G
- Ab DorianAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Minor Sixth PentatonicAb · Cb · Db · Eb · F
- Ab Flat Three PentatonicAb · Bb · Cb · Eb · F
- Ab Dorian #4Ab · Bb · Cb · D · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Lydian DiminishedAb · Bb · Cb · D · Eb · F · G
- Ab Hungarian MajorAb · B · C · D · Eb · F · Gb
Understanding the Ab Minor sixth chord
Names and symbols
Abm6 is the chord symbol for Ab Minor sixth; it is also written Ab-6.
Ab Minor sixth and G# Minor sixth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. G# Minor sixth
How it is built
On Ab it is Ab · Cb · Eb · 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 Abm6?
- Abm6 contains Ab · Cb · Eb · 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 Ab Minor sixth chord?
- The Ab Minor sixth chord contains the notes Ab · Cb · Eb · F: the root Ab 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 Ab, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Ab Minor sixth chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab 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.