Intervals
Minor Sixth
6m · 8 semitones
Eight semitones — consonant but wistful, the interval that carries a great deal of romantic melody.
Also written m6 · 6m
Minor Sixth
6m · 8 semitones
On the piano, from every note
| From | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| C | C – Ab | |
| C# | C# – A | |
| D | D – Bb | |
| Eb | Eb – Cb | |
| E | E – C | |
| F | F – Db | |
| F# | F# – D | |
| G | G – Eb | |
| Ab | Ab – Fb | |
| A | A – F | |
| Bb | Bb – Gb | |
| B | B – G |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Read on: number and quality · inversion · compound intervals · consonance and dissonance
Every sixth
A sixth can take these qualities, one semitone apart; choose one to see the upper note move and hear the pair.
Hear it in music
Songs that open with Minor Sixth: the first two notes of each are the interval, which is how most players learn to recognise it.
The EntertainerScott Joplin
The opening melodic leap.
Love Story (Theme)Francis Lai
The opening interval is an ascending minor sixth.
Scales that contain it
C MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb
C Harmonic MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · Ab · B
C PhrygianC · Db · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb
C LocrianC · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab · Bb
C ChromaticC · Db · D · Eb · E · F · Gb · G · Ab · A · Bb · B
C AlteredC · Db · D# · E · F# · Ab · Bb
C Phrygian DominantC · Db · E · F · G · Ab · Bb
C Harmonic MajorC · D · E · F · G · Ab · B
In C major
- E–C
- A–F
- B–G
Understanding Minor Sixth
Names and symbols
Minor Sixth is written m6, 6m: the letter is the quality, the number the size. Chord formulas on this site write the number first, as tonal does.
Seconds, thirds, sixths and sevenths come in major and minor, a semitone apart, and can be widened to augmented or narrowed to diminished. Inverting one swaps the quality: a major third becomes a minor sixth, a minor second a major seventh.
How it sounds
A minor sixth spans 8 semitones: C – Ab. It is an imperfect consonance: stable enough to rest on, coloured enough to feel like an expressive choice rather than a structural one.
Ascending it sounds yearning; descending it sounds resigned. Few intervals change character so much with direction.
How composers use it
It is the inversion of the Major Third, which means a first-inversion minor triad puts a minor sixth between its outer voices. It is also the distance from the root to the ♭6, the note that gives the minor scale and the Phrygian mode much of their colour.
Learn this properly
Chapter 5: IntervalsCommon questions
- How many semitones is a Minor Sixth?
- A Minor Sixth spans 8 semitones: C – Ab. Count the semitones of any interval with the interval calculator.
- What is the inversion of a minor sixth?
- The Major Third. The two sizes add to twelve semitones.
- Is a minor sixth consonant?
- Yes, an imperfect consonance — stable enough to end a phrase on, but coloured rather than neutral.
- How do I play Minor Sixth?
- On guitar the handiest shape is Next string, B 1 · E 4, read as string and fret; the instrument panel draws it from any starting note with the other shapes. On the piano count 8 semitones up from any key, black keys included. Play the notes together for the harmonic form, one after the other for the melodic form.