Chords
C# Minor sixth
C# · E · G# · A#
The minor sixth chord — a minor triad with a major sixth. Darker than it looks on paper.
Also written C#-6
C# Minor sixth
C# · E · G# · A#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | C#3 · E3 · G#3 · A#3 | |
| Open (drop 2) | G#2 · C#3 · E3 · A#3 | |
| Shell | C#3 · E3 · A#3 | |
| Rootless | E3 · G#3 · A#3 · D#4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
C# Minor sixth (C#m6) contains the notes C# · E · G# · A#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords
Inversions
An inversion of C# Minor sixth puts a chord tone other than C# in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales C# Minor sixth belongs to.
In which keys
C# Minor sixth is diatonic to 3 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
C# Minor sixth fits inside these scales, each built on C#.
- C# Major BluesC# · D# · E · E# · G# · A#
- C# Melodic MinorC# · D# · E · F# · G# · A# · B#
- C# DorianC# · D# · E · F# · G# · A# · B
- C# Minor Sixth PentatonicC# · E · F# · G# · A#
- C# Flat Three PentatonicC# · D# · E · G# · A#
- C# Dorian b2C# · D · E · F# · G# · A# · B
- C# Neapolitan MajorC# · D · E · F# · G# · A# · B#
- C# Bebop MinorC# · D# · E · E# · F# · G# · A# · B
Understanding the C# Minor sixth chord
Names and symbols
C#m6 is the chord symbol for C# Minor sixth; it is also written C#-6.
C# Minor sixth and Db Minor sixth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. Db Minor sixth
How it is built
On C# it is C# · E · G# · A#, 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 C#m6?
- C#m6 contains C# · E · G# · A#. 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 C# Minor sixth chord?
- The C# Minor sixth chord contains the notes C# · E · G# · A#: the root C# 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 C#, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the C# Minor sixth chord?
- Measured from C#, the C# 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.