C♭m6 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C♭m6 chord is a minor sixth chord built on the root note C♭. Its notes are C♭, E𝄫, G♭ and A♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as Bm6.
Minor sixth chords are darker than a plain minor triad but never sour. A major sixth sitting over a minor third gives them a wistful, cinematic quality that turns up in bossa nova, French chanson and film noir scores.
- Notes
- C♭ · E𝄫 · G♭ · A♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 9
- Note
- C♭
- Quality
- Minor 6
- Symbol
- C♭m6
C♭m6 on piano
4 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play C♭m6 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C♭, index finger on E𝄫, middle finger on G♭ and little finger on A♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♭ and A♭ are black keys and C♭ and E𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call B and D. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♭1
- E𝄫♭3
- G♭5
- A♭6
C♭m6 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C♭m6 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 4 and 2 ring open. Don't play string 6.
C♭ · E𝄫 · G♭ · A♭
Try C♭m6 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
C♭m6 chord notes
Also known as Bm6
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♭(Cb) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | E𝄫(Ebb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 6 | Major sixth | 9 | A♭(Ab) |
How to use the C♭m6 chord
The C♭m6 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a major sixth. Start at the root C♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C♭, E𝄫, G♭ and A♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Minor sixth chords act as the iv chord in a major key or as the tonic of a Dorian passage, and they are a staple of jazz turnarounds. They also make a striking substitute for a plain minor chord at a cadence.
How C♭m6 differs from similar chords
C♭m6 adds a major sixth to C♭m, where C♭m7 adds a minor seventh a half step higher. That major sixth forms a tritone with the minor third, which gives the chord its bittersweet tension. The same four notes spell the half-diminished chord built on its sixth.
Where C♭m6 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key C♭m6 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C♭m6 chord?
- The C♭m6 chord contains C♭, E𝄫, G♭ and A♭ (Cb, Ebb, Gb and Ab in plain text).
- Is the C♭m6 chord major or minor?
- C♭m6 is a minor sixth chord. Minor sixth chords are darker than a plain minor triad but never sour. A major sixth sitting over a minor third gives them a wistful, cinematic quality that turns up in bossa nova, French chanson and film noir scores.
- How do you play C♭m6 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C♭, E𝄫, G♭ and A♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard G♭ and A♭ are black keys and C♭ and E𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call B and D.
- How do you play C♭m6 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. Strings 4 and 2 ring open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the C♭m6 chord?
- C♭m6 is enharmonically equivalent to Bm6. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.