Chord · E Minor 6th
Em6 Chord
Em6 is E, G, B and C# — smoky, sophisticated; classic jazz minor.
Em6 on every instrument
The same 4 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Em6 is made of
Em6 (E minor sixth) is built from the notes E, G, B, C#, with the interval pattern 1, b3, 5, 6.
Stack 1, b3, 5 and 6 on a root of E and you get E, G, B and C#. 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 Em6.
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 C♯ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Em6
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 E
Same root, different colour.
The same minor sixth shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Em6
- What notes are in the Em6 chord?
- Em6 is made of E, G, B and C# — the 1, b3, 5 and 6 degrees of a minor sixth chord built on E.
- What keys use the Em6 chord?
- Every note of Em6 belongs to 2 keys: D Major (ii), B Minor (iv). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Em6 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Em6 on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 10 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Em6 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.