As a minor tonicE♭ minor
The natural-minor loop - every chord is drawn from the key's own seven notes.
E♭m6 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E♭m6 chord is a minor sixth chord built on the root note E♭. Its notes are E♭, G♭, B♭ and C. It's enharmonically the same chord as D♯m6.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
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
- E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 9
- Note
- E♭
- Quality
- Minor 6
- Symbol
- E♭m6
E♭m6 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play E♭m6 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on E♭, index finger on G♭, middle finger on B♭ and little finger on C. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭, G♭ and B♭ are black keys and C is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- E♭1
- G♭♭3
- B♭5
- C6
E♭m6 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, E♭m6 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 6 and 5.
E♭ · G♭ · B♭ · C
Try E♭m6 on the virtual piano
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E♭m6 chord notes
Also known as D♯m6
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E♭(Eb) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | G♭(Gb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 6 | Major sixth | 9 | C |
How to use the E♭m6 chord
The E♭m6 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a major sixth. Start at the root E♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: E♭, G♭, B♭ and C. 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 E♭m6 differs from similar chords
E♭m6 adds a major sixth to E♭m, where E♭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 E♭m6 is used
A minor chord works as the tonic of its own key, and as the vi or the ii of a major one. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the E♭m6 chord?
- The E♭m6 chord contains E♭, G♭, B♭ and C (Eb, Gb, Bb and C in plain text).
- Is the E♭m6 chord major or minor?
- E♭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 E♭m6 on piano?
- Place your fingers on E♭, G♭, B♭ and C 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 E♭, G♭ and B♭ are black keys and C is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play E♭m6 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 6 and 5.
- What is another name for the E♭m6 chord?
- E♭m6 is enharmonically equivalent to D♯m6. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.