F#m6 F# minor sixth chord
- Notes
- F# A C# D#
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 6
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 9 above the root
- Also written
- Gbm6 (Gb Bbb Db Eb)
- Other symbols
- F#min6, F#−6
F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones), A to C# is a major third (4 semitones), C# to D# is a major second (2 semitones). A minor triad plus the major sixth, D#. The sixth and the minor third A are a tritone apart, which gives the chord its dark, unresolved colour. With D# in the bass the same four keys read as D#m7b5.
F#m6 on the piano
Root position from F#4: F#4, A4, C#5, D#5. Middle C is C4.
F#m6 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 F# as its lowest note.
2 x 1 2 2 x (low E to high e)
Sounds F#2 D#3 A3 C#4
x 9 x 8 10 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#3 D#4 A4 C#5
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 F#m6
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 | F# A C# D# | F#m6 | |
| 1st inversion | A C# D# F# | D#m7b5/A (also read as F#m6/A) | |
| 2nd inversion | C# D# F# A | D#m7b5/C# (also read as F#m6/C#) | |
| 3rd inversion | D# F# A C# | D#m7b5 (also read as F#m6/D#) |
Where F#m6 fits
F#m6 is ii6 in E major, iv6 in C# minor, i6 in F# minor. As i6 it is the tonic chord of a minor key when the melody uses the raised sixth of the melodic minor scale, D#; many jazz tunes in minor end on it rather than on F#m7.