Em6: E Minor 6th Piano Chord

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

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

Construction

E Minor 6th = Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 6th = E, G, B, C♯

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

Fingering

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

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

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

E Minor 6th Inversions

Root position
E – G – B – C♯
1st inversion (Em6/G)
G – B – C♯ – E
2nd inversion (Em6/B)
B – C♯ – E – G
3rd inversion (Em6/C♯)
C♯ – E – G – B

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the E Minor 6th is the tonic (i) chord of E Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, G Major: 1 sharp (F♯).

F♯

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 E Minor

These are the triads built on each degree of E Minor:

i — E Minor (minor)

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

Scales That Include the E Minor 6th

Same Notes, Other Names

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

C♯ Half Diminished→

E Minor 6th : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the E Minor 6th chord on piano?

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

What notes are in the E Minor 6th chord?

Em6 contains: E, G, B, C#. Minor triad with major sixth.

How does Em6 differ from Em7?

Em6 has C# (major sixth). Em7 has D (minor seventh).

How is Em6 used?

Descending line. Jazz tonic. Enharmonic of C#m7b5.

Is Em6 the same as C#m7b5?

Same notes, different root.

What songs use Minor 6th?

My Funny Valentine, Stairway to Heaven.

How does Em6 differ from E6?

Em6 has minor third (G).

E 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	E3 G3 B3 C♯4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	G3 B3 C♯4 E4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	B3 C♯4 E4 G4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	C♯4 E4 G4 B4	10	138 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	B2 E3 G3 C♯4	14	193 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	G2 E3 B3 C♯4	18	248 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	E2 B2 G3 C♯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	E2 C♯3 G3	15	206 mm	omits B	subset
Guide tones, ♭3 and 6	G3 C♯4	6	83 mm	omits E and B	subset
Rootless close	G3 B3 C♯4	6	83 mm	omits E	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	E	E3, G3, B3, C♯4	7	9	124 mm
First inversion: Em6/G	G	G3, B3, C♯4, E4	6/5	9	124 mm
Second inversion: Em6/B	B	B3, C♯4, E4, G4	4/3	8	110 mm
Third inversion: Em6/C♯	C♯	C♯4, E4, G4, B4	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
Em	drops C♯	1 ♭3 5	3
Em7	C♯ becomes D	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	3
EmMaj7	C♯ becomes D♯	1 ♭3 5 7	3
Edim7	B becomes B♭	1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7	3
E6	G becomes G♯	1 3 5 6	3
Em9	C♯ becomes D, F♯	1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9	3
E	G, C♯ becomes G♯	1 3 5	2
Edim	B, C♯ becomes B♭	1 ♭3 ♭5	2
Esus2	G, C♯ becomes F♯	1 2 5	2
Esus4	G, C♯ becomes A	1 4 5	2
Emaj7	G, C♯ becomes G♯, D♯	1 3 5 7	2
E7	G, C♯ becomes G♯, D	1 3 5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
E3	52	164.81 Hz
G3	55	196.00 Hz
B3	59	246.94 Hz
C♯4	61	277.18 Hz

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

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {4, 7, 11, 1}
Normal order: [11, 1, 4, 7]
Prime form: (0258)
Forte number: 4-27
Interval vector: <012111>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
E to G	Minor third	3	3
E to B	Perfect fifth	7	5
E to C♯	Major sixth	9	3
G to B	Major third	4	4
G to C♯	Tritone	6	6
B to C♯	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 E, 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.

E Minor 6th

Fingerings

E Minor 6th: notes and degrees