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Guitar chords · Minor 6th

B♭m6 chord on guitar (Bbm6)

B♭m6 (B♭ minor 6th) has four notes: B♭, D♭, F and G, the , ♭3, 5 and 6.

Shapes

How to play B♭m6

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

B♭m6 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 1 or the E shape at fret 6. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 1

    ××R♭35B♭GD♭F
  • E shape · fret 6

    6frR5R♭36RB♭FB♭D♭GB♭
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes B♭m6 minor 6th

A minor 6th chord adds a major 6th to a minor chord. The 6th gives it a dark, slightly mysterious colour heard in jazz, bossa nova and film music.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The ♭3rd and the 6th make B♭m6 a minor 6th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. B♭Rroot
  2. D♭♭3essential
  3. F5optional
  4. G6essential
EADGBE0135791215B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭FGD♭FGD♭FGFGD♭FGD♭FGD♭FGD♭FGD♭FG
  • B♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

B♭m6 and A♯m6 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with B♭m6

B♭m6 belongs to two keys: A♭ major (ii6) and F minor (iv6).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

B♭m6 over another bass note

A keeps B♭m6 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • B♭m6/D♭

    B♭m6 with its ♭3rd, D♭, in the bass.

  • B♭m6/F

    B♭m6 with its 5th, F, in the bass.

Questions

B♭m6, in short

What notes are in the B♭m6 chord?
B♭m6 (B♭ minor 6th) has four notes: B♭, D♭, F and G, the , ♭3, 5 and 6.
How do you play B♭m6 on guitar?
B♭m6 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 1 or the E shape at fret 6.
What key is B♭m6 in?
B♭m6 belongs to two keys: A♭ major (ii6) and F minor (iv6).
Is B♭m6 the same as A♯m6?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. B♭m6 is the spelling in A♭ major and F minor. No key on the circle spells it A♯m6, so you will rarely see that name.
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