Chords
G# Minor sixth
G# · B · D# · E#
The minor sixth chord — a minor triad with a major sixth. Darker than it looks on paper.
Also written G#-6
G# Minor sixth
G# · B · D# · E#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | G#3 · B3 · D#4 · E#4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | D#3 · G#3 · B3 · E#4 | |
| Shell | G#3 · B3 · E#4 | |
| Rootless | B3 · D#4 · E#4 · A#4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
G# Minor sixth (G#m6) contains the notes G# · B · D# · E#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords
Inversions
An inversion of G# Minor sixth puts a chord tone other than G# in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales G# Minor sixth belongs to.
In which keys
G# Minor sixth is diatonic to 3 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
G# Minor sixth fits inside these scales, each built on G#.
- G# Major BluesG# · A# · B · B# · D# · E#
- G# DorianG# · A# · B · C# · D# · E# · F#
- G# Minor Sixth PentatonicG# · B · C# · D# · E#
- G# Flat Three PentatonicG# · A# · B · D# · E#
- G# Dorian b2G# · A · B · C# · D# · E# · F#
- G# Bebop MinorG# · A# · B · B# · C# · D# · E# · F#
- G# Composite BluesG# · A# · B · B# · C# · D · D# · E# · F#
Understanding the G# Minor sixth chord
Names and symbols
G#m6 is the chord symbol for G# Minor sixth; it is also written G#-6.
G# Minor sixth and Ab Minor sixth are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. Ab Minor sixth
How it is built
On G# it is G# · B · D# · E#, 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 G#m6?
- G#m6 contains G# · B · D# · E#. 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 G# Minor sixth chord?
- The G# Minor sixth chord contains the notes G# · B · D# · E#: the root G# 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 G#, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the G# Minor sixth chord?
- Measured from G#, the G# 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.