Bm6 B minor sixth chord
- Notes
- B D F# G#
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 6
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 9 above the root
- Other symbols
- Bmin6, B−6
B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F# is a major third (4 semitones), F# to G# is a major second (2 semitones). A minor triad plus the major sixth, G#. The sixth and the minor third D are a tritone apart, which gives the chord its dark, unresolved colour. With G# in the bass the same four keys read as G#m7b5.
Bm6 on the piano
Root position from B4: B4, D5, F#5, G#5. Middle C is C4.
Bm6 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has B as its lowest note.
x 2 x 1 3 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 G#3 D4 F#4
7 x 6 7 7 x (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 G#3 D4 F#4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play minor sixth chords on other roots.
Inversions of Bm6
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | B D F# G# | Bm6 | |
| 1st inversion | D F# G# B | G#m7b5/D (also read as Bm6/D) | |
| 2nd inversion | F# G# B D | G#m7b5/F# (also read as Bm6/F#) | |
| 3rd inversion | G# B D F# | G#m7b5 (also read as Bm6/G#) |
Where Bm6 fits
Bm6 is ii6 in A major, iv6 in F# minor, i6 in B minor. As i6 it is the tonic chord of a minor key when the melody uses the raised sixth of the melodic minor scale, G#; many jazz tunes in minor end on it rather than on Bm7.