Mandolin · minor sixth
C♯m6 Chord on Mandolin
C# Minor 6th is C#, E, G#, A# — the 1-b3-5-6 pattern of a minor sixth chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.
There is no open C#m6 on mandolin. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated intermediate.
Start here — Movable m6 Shape (2nd fret)
Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Movable m6 Shape (2nd 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 mandolin.
C#m6 on Mandolin — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play C#m6 on mandolin?
“Movable m6 Shape (2nd fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest C#m6 shape on mandolin. 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 mandolin, 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.
What can I play instead of C#m6?
The nearest stand-ins on mandolin 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 guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, banjo.
Learn the theory behind C#m6
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.
Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One Engine
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Major and Minor Scales — Built from Intervals, Felt in Songs
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