Ukulele · minor sixth
Em6 Chord on Ukulele
E Minor 6th is E, G, B, C# — the 1-b3-5-6 pattern of a minor sixth chord. There are 2 ways to play it on ukulele, ranked below from easiest to hardest.
There is no open Em6 shape on ukulele — every version sits up the neck. The one marked “Bm6 Shape (movable) (6th fret)” below is the friendliest grip, so start there.
Start here — Bm6 Shape (movable) (6th fret)
Sits at fret 6 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.
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.
Bm6 Shape (movable) (6th fret) Way 1 of 2
Bm6 Shape (movable) (6th fret)
Easiest here· intermediate· the standard shape
Sits at fret 6 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.
Am6 Shape (movable) (9th fret) Way 2 of 2
Am6 Shape (movable) (9th fret)
intermediate
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: Bm6 Shape (movable) (6th fret).
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
Em6 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 ukulele.
Em6 on Ukulele — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play Em6 on ukulele?
“Bm6 Shape (movable) (6th fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest Em6 shape on ukulele. Sits at fret 6 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath. There is no open Em6 on ukulele, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.
What notes are in the E Minor 6th chord?
E Minor 6th is E, G, B, C# — 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 Em6 on ukulele?
This page has 2 Em6 voicings for ukulele, ranked from easiest to hardest: Bm6 Shape (movable) (6th fret), Am6 Shape (movable) (9th fret). They all sound like Em6; the differences are how hard they are to hold and how high they sit.
What can I play instead of Em6?
The nearest stand-ins on ukulele that keep the same root are Esus4, Esus2, E. 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 Em6 on other instruments?
Yes. Em6 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, bass, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind Em6
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.
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