Cm6: 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♭	black	index finger (2)	middle finger (3)
G	white	middle finger (3)	index finger (2)
A	white	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 (Cm6/E♭)
E♭ – G – A – C
2nd inversion (Cm6/G)
G – A – C – E♭
3rd inversion (Cm6/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, E♭ Major: 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭).

B♭E♭A♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

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:

A Half Diminished→

C Minor 6th : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the C Minor 6th chord on piano?

The C Minor 6th chord contains the notes C – E♭ – G – A. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.

What notes are in the C Minor 6th chord?

Cm6 contains four notes: C (root), Eb (minor third), G (perfect fifth), and A (major sixth). A minor triad with an added major sixth, creating a bittersweet, melancholic quality.

How does Cm6 differ from Cm7?

Cm6 has A (major sixth). Cm7 has Bb (minor seventh). Cm6 sounds bittersweet and nostalgic; Cm7 is smooth and dark. Cm6 is also enharmonically the same notes as Am7b5 (A–C–Eb–G).

How does Cm6 differ from C6?

Cm6 has E♭, a minor third. C6 has E, a major third. That single note is the whole difference: Cm6 is dark and bittersweet, C6 is bright and warm.

How is Cm6 used in music?

Cm6 is the final chord in the descending chromatic minor line: Cm → CmMaj7 → Cm7 → Cm6. It also appears in jazz as the tonic minor chord (Dorian sound) and in film noir.

What songs use Minor 6th chords?

My Funny Valentine uses the descending minor line ending on m6. Stairway to Heaven features Am → AmMaj7 → Am7 → Am6. Minor 6th chords appear in jazz standards and film scoring.

Is Cm6 the same as Am7b5?

Yes: they contain the same four notes (C, Eb, G, A = A, C, Eb, G). Which name to use depends on context: Cm6 when C is the bass/root, Am7b5 when A is the bass/root.

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	C3 E♭3 G3 A3	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	E♭3 G3 A3 C4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	G3 A3 C4 E♭4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	A3 C4 E♭4 G4	10	138 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	G2 C3 E♭3 A3	14	193 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	E♭2 C3 G3 A3	18	248 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	C2 G2 E♭3 A3	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	C2 A2 E♭3	15	206 mm	omits G	subset
Guide tones, ♭3 and 6	E♭3 A3	6	83 mm	omits C and G	subset
Rootless close	E♭3 G3 A3	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	C3, E♭3, G3, A3	7	9	124 mm
First inversion: Cm6/E♭	E♭	E♭3, G3, A3, C4	6/5	9	124 mm
Second inversion: Cm6/G	G	G3, A3, C4, E♭4	4/3	8	110 mm
Third inversion: Cm6/A	A	A3, C4, E♭4, G4	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
Cm	drops A	1 ♭3 5	3
Cm7	A becomes B♭	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	3
CmMaj7	A becomes B	1 ♭3 5 7	3
Cdim7	G becomes G♭	1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7	3
C6	E♭ becomes E	1 3 5 6	3
Cm9	A becomes B♭, D	1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9	3
C	E♭, A becomes E	1 3 5	2
Cdim	G, A becomes G♭	1 ♭3 ♭5	2
Csus2	E♭, A becomes D	1 2 5	2
Csus4	E♭, A becomes F	1 4 5	2
Cmaj7	E♭, A becomes E, B	1 3 5 7	2
C7	E♭, A becomes E, B♭	1 3 5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
C3	48	130.81 Hz
E♭3	51	155.56 Hz
G3	55	196.00 Hz
A3	57	220.00 Hz

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

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {0, 3, 7, 9}
Normal order: [7, 9, 0, 3]
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