Guitar · minor sixth
C♯m6 Chord on Guitar
C# Minor 6th is C#, E, G#, A# — the 1-b3-5-6 pattern of a minor sixth chord. There are 2 ways to play it on guitar, ranked below from easiest to hardest.
There is no open C#m6 shape on guitar — every version sits up the neck. The one marked “Movable Root-5 Shape (3rd fret)” below is the friendliest grip, so start there.
Start here — Movable Root-5 Shape (3rd fret)
Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.
Every way to play it — 2 shapes, easiest first
Same chord in all of them. What changes is how much your hand has to do and where on the neck it sits.
Movable Root-5 Shape (3rd fret) Way 1 of 2
Movable Root-5 Shape (3rd fret)
Easiest here· advanced· the standard shape
Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.
E Shape Barre (9th fret) Way 2 of 2
E Shape Barre (9th fret)
advanced
Barre at fret 9 — the same movable idea, further up the neck: brighter, more compact, and easier to reach if you are already playing up there.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Movable Root-5 Shape (3rd fret).
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
C#m6 on other instruments
Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.
Chords next door
Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on guitar.
C#m6 on Guitar — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play C#m6 on guitar?
“Movable Root-5 Shape (3rd fret)” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest C#m6 shape on guitar. Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones. There is no open C#m6 on guitar, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.
What notes are in the C# Minor 6th chord?
C# Minor 6th is C#, E, G#, A# — the 1-b3-5-6 interval pattern of a minor sixth chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
How many ways can you play C#m6 on guitar?
This page has 2 C#m6 voicings for guitar, ranked from easiest to hardest: Movable Root-5 Shape (3rd fret), E Shape Barre (9th fret). They all sound like C#m6; the differences are how hard they are to hold and how high they sit.
What can I play instead of C#m6?
The nearest stand-ins on guitar that keep the same root are C#m, C#m7, C#dim. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.
Can I play C#m6 on other instruments?
Yes. C#m6 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind C#m6
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.
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