As a minor tonicF♯ minor
The natural-minor loop - every chord is drawn from the key's own seven notes.
F♯m6 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♯m6 chord is a minor sixth chord built on the root note F♯. Its notes are F♯, A, C♯ and D♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♭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
- F♯ · A · C♯ · D♯
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 9
- Note
- F♯
- Quality
- Minor 6
- Symbol
- F♯m6
F♯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 F♯m6 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♯, index finger on A, middle finger on C♯ and little finger on D♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard F♯, C♯ and D♯ are black keys and A 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.
- F♯1
- A♭3
- C♯5
- D♯6
F♯m6 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♯m6 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 5 rings open.
F♯ · A · C♯ · D♯
Try F♯m6 on the virtual piano
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F♯m6 chord notes
Also known as G♭m6
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♯(F#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | A | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♯(C#) | |
| 6 | Major sixth | 9 | D♯(D#) |
How to use the F♯m6 chord
The F♯m6 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a major sixth. Start at the root F♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♯, A, C♯ and D♯. 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 F♯m6 differs from similar chords
F♯m6 adds a major sixth to F♯m, where F♯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 F♯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 F♯m6 chord?
- The F♯m6 chord contains F♯, A, C♯ and D♯ (F#, A, C# and D# in plain text).
- Is the F♯m6 chord major or minor?
- F♯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 F♯m6 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♯, A, C♯ and D♯ 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 F♯, C♯ and D♯ are black keys and A 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 F♯m6 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 2. String 5 rings open.
- What is another name for the F♯m6 chord?
- F♯m6 is enharmonically equivalent to G♭m6. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.