Chord · A Minor 6th
Am6 Chord
Am6 is A, C, E and F# — smoky, sophisticated; classic jazz minor.
Am6 on every instrument
The same 4 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Am6 is made of
Am6 (A minor sixth) is built from the notes A, C, E, F#, with the interval pattern 1, b3, 5, 6.
Stack 1, b3, 5 and 6 on a root of A and you get A, C, E and F#. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor sixth chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cm6 sounds like a transposed Am6.
Minor 6th: Smoky, sophisticated; classic jazz minor.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with F♯ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Am6
All 4 notes sit inside the scale of 2 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Major keys
Minor keys
Other chords on A
Same root, different colour.
The same minor sixth shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Am6
- What notes are in the Am6 chord?
- Am6 is made of A, C, E and F# — the 1, b3, 5 and 6 degrees of a minor sixth chord built on A.
- What keys use the Am6 chord?
- Every note of Am6 belongs to 2 keys: G Major (ii), E Minor (iv). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Am6 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Am6 on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 9 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Am6 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.