Piano · minor sixth
C♯m6 Chord on Piano
C# Minor 6th is C#, E, G#, A# — the 1-b3-5-6 pattern of a minor sixth chord. There are 3 ways to play it on piano, ranked below from easiest to hardest.
Every voicing below is the same 4 notes in a different order. Root position is the one to learn first; the inversions exist to keep your hand still when you change chords.
Start here — Root Position (RH)
Root position — the root is the lowest note. This is the sound in your head when you read the chord symbol, and the one to learn first.
Ways to voice it — 3 voicings, easiest first
Same 4 notes in all of them. What changes is which one sits at the bottom — and how far your hand has to travel to get there.
Way 1 of 3
Root Position (RH)
Easiest here· intermediate· the standard shape
Root position — the root is the lowest note. This is the sound in your head when you read the chord symbol, and the one to learn first.
Keys: C#4 · E4 · G#4 · A#4
Way 2 of 3
1st Inversion (RH)
intermediate
First inversion — the 3rd (E) moves to the bottom. Reach for it when the chord before this one sat a step below: your hand barely travels.
Keys: E4 · G#4 · A#4 · C#5
Way 3 of 3
2nd Inversion (RH)
intermediate
Second inversion — the 5th (G#) is in the bass. It leans forward instead of settling, which makes it a good passing chord.
Keys: G#4 · A#4 · C#5 · E5
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Root Position (RH).
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 piano.
C#m6 on Piano — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play C#m6 on piano?
“Root Position (RH)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest C#m6 shape on piano. Root position — the root is the lowest note. This is the sound in your head when you read the chord symbol, and the one to learn first.
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 piano?
This page has 3 C#m6 voicings for piano, ranked from easiest to hardest: Root Position (RH), 1st Inversion (RH), 2nd Inversion (RH). 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 piano 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, 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.
Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One Engine
What a seventh chord is for — tension, resolution, and the seat it takes in the key.
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The 12-Bar Blues — Three Chords, A Century of Hits
Seventh chords are the whole sound of the blues. Twelve bars is where to hear it.
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Major and Minor Scales — Built from Intervals, Felt in Songs
The flat third under all of this, and the scale it comes from.
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