Chords
F# Minor sixth
F# · A · C# · D#
The minor sixth chord — a minor triad with a major sixth. Darker than it looks on paper.
Also written F#-6
F# Minor sixth
F# · A · C# · D#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | F#3 · A3 · C#4 · D#4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | C#3 · F#3 · A3 · D#4 | |
| Shell | F#3 · A3 · D#4 | |
| Rootless | A3 · C#4 · D#4 · G#4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
F# Minor sixth (F#m6) contains the notes F# · A · C# · D#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords
Inversions
An inversion of F# Minor sixth puts a chord tone other than F# in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales F# Minor sixth belongs to.
In which keys
F# Minor sixth is diatonic to 3 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
F# Minor sixth fits inside these scales, each built on F#.
- F# Major BluesF# · G# · A · A# · C# · D#
- F# Melodic MinorF# · G# · A · B · C# · D# · E#
- F# DorianF# · G# · A · B · C# · D# · E
- F# Half-Whole DiminishedF# · G · A · A# · B# · C# · D# · E
- F# Minor Sixth PentatonicF# · A · B · C# · D#
- F# Flat Three PentatonicF# · G# · A · C# · D#
- F# Dorian b2F# · G · A · B · C# · D# · E
- F# Dorian #4F# · G# · A · B# · C# · D# · E
Understanding the F# Minor sixth chord
Names and symbols
F#m6 is the chord symbol for F# Minor sixth; it is also written F#-6.
How it is built
On F# it is F# · A · C# · D#, 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 F#m6?
- F#m6 contains F# · A · C# · D#. 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 F# Minor sixth chord?
- The F# Minor sixth chord contains the notes F# · A · C# · D#: the root F# 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 F#, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the F# Minor sixth chord?
- Measured from F#, the F# 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.