C♭m6: C♭ Minor 6th Piano Chord

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
Hand	Notes	Fingers
Right	C♭, E♭♭, G♭, A♭	1-2-3-5
Left	C♭, E♭♭, G♭, A♭	5-3-2-1

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
Degree	Note	Interval from root	Semitones
1	C♭	Perfect unison	0
♭3	E♭♭	Minor third	3
5	G♭	Perfect fifth	7
6	A♭	Major sixth	9

Construction

C♭ Minor 6th = Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 6th = C♭, E♭♭, G♭, A♭

Note	Interval	Degree
C♭	Root	1
E♭♭	Minor 3rd	♭3
G♭	Perfect 5th	5
A♭	Major 6th	6

Fingering

Note	Key color	Right hand	Left hand
C♭	white	thumb (1)	little finger (5)
E♭♭	white	index finger (2)	middle finger (3)
G♭	black	middle finger (3)	index finger (2)
A♭	black	little finger (5)	thumb (1)

Right hand: thumb (1) on C♭, index finger (2) on E♭♭, middle finger (3) on G♭, little finger (5) on A♭.

Left hand: little finger (5) on C♭, middle finger (3) on E♭♭, index finger (2) on G♭, thumb (1) on A♭.

C♭ Minor 6th Inversions

Root position
C♭ – E♭♭ – G♭ – A♭
1st inversion (C♭m6/E♭♭)
E♭♭ – G♭ – A♭ – C♭
2nd inversion (C♭m6/G♭)
G♭ – A♭ – C♭ – E♭♭
3rd inversion (C♭m6/A♭)
A♭ – C♭ – E♭♭ – G♭

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the C♭ Minor 6th is the tonic (i) chord of C♭ Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, D Major: 2 sharps (F♯, C♯).

F♯C♯

Order of sharps

Sharps are added to a key signature in a fixed order. Each new sharp key adds the next sharp on the list.

F♯C♯G♯D♯A♯E♯B♯

Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Chords in the Key of C♭ Minor

These are the triads built on each degree of C♭ Minor:

i — C♭ Minor (minor)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	i	C♭ Minor	Minor
2	ii°	D♭ Diminished	Diminished
3	III	E♭♭ Major	Major
4	iv	F♭ Minor	Minor
5	v	G♭ Minor	Minor
6	VI	A♭♭ Major	Major
7	VII	B♭♭ Major	Major

Scales That Include the C♭ Minor 6th

Same Notes, Other Names

The notes C♭ – E♭♭ – G♭ – A♭ aren’t exclusive to this chord. Depending on which note is the bass and how the chord functions, the same pitches also spell:

G♯ Half Diminished→

C♭ Minor 6th : Frequently Asked Questions

What notes are in C♭m6?

C♭m6 contains C♭, E♭♭, G♭ and A♭. The formula is 1, ♭3, 5, 6.

How do you play C♭m6 on piano?

Play C♭, E♭♭, G♭ and A♭ together. Right hand fingers 1, 2, 3, 5; left hand 5, 3, 2, 1. G♭ and A♭ are black keys; C♭ and E♭♭ are white.

What are the inversions of C♭m6?

4 positions: root position C♭ E♭♭ G♭ A♭, C♭m6/E♭♭, C♭m6/G♭, C♭m6/A♭.

What is the difference between C♭m6 and C♭m?

Drops A♭. 3 of the notes are shared.

What is an easy C♭m6 for small hands?

The guide tones, ♭3 and 6 voicing, E♭♭4 A♭4, spans 6 semitones or about 83 mm.

What are the frequencies of C♭m6?

From C♭3 at A440 in 12-TET: 246.94, 293.66, 369.99, 415.30 Hz.

What is the set class of C♭m6?

Prime form (0258), Forte 4-27, interval vector <012111>.

How do I transpose C♭m6 to another key?

Keep the 1, ♭3, 5, 6 formula on the new root. Cm6 is C, E♭, G, A; C♯m6 is C♯, E, G♯, A♯.

Is Bm6 the same as C♭m6?

Enharmonically yes: the same piano keys and the same sound, spelled differently.

C♭ Minor 6th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Close, root position	C♭3 E♭♭4 G♭4 A♭4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	E♭♭4 G♭4 A♭4 C♭4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	G♭4 A♭4 C♭4 E♭♭5	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	A♭4 C♭4 E♭♭5 G♭5	10	138 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	G♭3 C♭3 E♭♭4 A♭4	14	193 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	E♭♭3 C♭3 G♭4 A♭4	18	248 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	C♭2 G♭3 E♭♭4 A♭4	21	289 mm	none	identical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Shell, root 6 ♭3	C♭2 A♭3 E♭♭4	15	206 mm	omits G♭	subset
Guide tones, ♭3 and 6	E♭♭4 A♭4	6	83 mm	omits C♭ and G♭	subset
Rootless close	E♭♭4 G♭4 A♭4	6	83 mm	omits C♭	subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Position	Bass note	Notes in order	Figured bass	Semitones	Span
Root position	C♭	C♭3, E♭♭4, G♭4, A♭4	7	9	124 mm
First inversion: C♭m6/E♭♭	E♭♭	E♭♭4, G♭4, A♭4, C♭4	6/5	9	124 mm
Second inversion: C♭m6/G♭	G♭	G♭4, A♭4, C♭4, E♭♭5	4/3	8	110 mm
Third inversion: C♭m6/A♭	A♭	A♭4, C♭4, E♭♭5, G♭5	4/2	10	138 mm

One position per chord tone in the bass. Spans are for close position: voiced inversions appear under Voicings.

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
C♭m	drops A♭	1 ♭3 5	3
C♭m7	A♭ becomes B♭♭	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	3
C♭mMaj7	A♭ becomes B♭	1 ♭3 5 7	3
C♭dim7	G♭ becomes G♭♭	1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7	3
C♭6	E♭♭ becomes E♭	1 3 5 6	3
C♭m9	A♭ becomes B♭♭, D♭	1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9	3
C♭	E♭♭, A♭ becomes E♭	1 3 5	2
C♭dim	G♭, A♭ becomes G♭♭	1 ♭3 ♭5	2
C♭sus2	E♭♭, A♭ becomes D♭	1 2 5	2
C♭sus4	E♭♭, A♭ becomes F♭	1 4 5	2
C♭maj7	E♭♭, A♭ becomes E♭, B♭	1 3 5 7	2
C♭7	E♭♭, A♭ becomes E♭, B♭♭	1 3 5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
C♭3	59	246.94 Hz
E♭♭4	62	293.66 Hz
G♭4	66	369.99 Hz
A♭4	68	415.30 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {11, 2, 6, 8}
Normal order: [6, 8, 11, 2]
Prime form: (0258)
Forte number: 4-27
Interval vector: <012111>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
C♭ to E♭♭	Minor third	3	3
C♭ to G♭	Perfect fifth	7	5
C♭ to A♭	Major sixth	9	3
E♭♭ to G♭	Major third	4	4
E♭♭ to A♭	Tritone	6	6
G♭ to A♭	Major second	2	2

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a minor 6th applied to the root C♭, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.

C♭ Minor 6th

Fingerings

C♭ Minor 6th: notes and degrees