As a minor tonicE minor
The natural-minor loop - every chord is drawn from the key's own seven notes.
Em6 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The Em6 chord is a minor sixth chord built on the root note E. Its notes are E, G, B and C♯.
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
- Em6
Em6 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play Em6 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 C♯ is a black key and E, G and B are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- E1
- G♭3
- B5
- C♯6
Em6 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, Em6 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. Strings 6, 3 and 1 ring open.
E · G · B · C♯
Try Em6 on the virtual piano
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Em6 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | G | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | B | |
| 6 | Major sixth | 9 | C♯(C#) |
How to use the Em6 chord
The Em6 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 Em6 differs from similar chords
Em6 adds a major sixth to Em, where Em7 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 Em6 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 Em6 chord?
- The Em6 chord contains E, G, B and C♯ (E, G, B and C# in plain text).
- Is the Em6 chord major or minor?
- Em6 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 Em6 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 C♯ is a black key and E, G and B are white.
- How do you play Em6 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. Strings 6, 3 and 1 ring open.
- What chords work well with Em6?
- Em6 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.