C#m6 Guitar Chord

C#m6 is the C sharp minor sixth chord. It has four notes: C sharp, E, G sharp and A sharp. The main shape sits low, at the 2nd fret, with the root on the A string and no full barre to hold.

Root on the A string at the 4th fret under the ring finger, with the index laying across the D and B strings at the 2nd and the pinky adding the fifth on the high E. Five strings, no full barre.

How to play C#m6, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the D to B strings at fret 2
Middle finger: 3rd fret, G string
Ring finger: 4th fret, A string
Pinky finger: 4th fret, high E string
Strum from the A string down, skipping the low E.

The shape is movable: the note under the ring finger on the A string names the chord. Slide everything up two frets and it becomes Ebm6.

More ways to play C#m6

There are 2 common C#m6 shapes in total: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these, easiest first. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

C#m6 guitar chord diagram, barre at fret 9, played 9 11 11 9 11 9 — Barre at fret 9

If it sounds cramped

The G string note disappears: The middle finger holds the 3rd fret of the G string between the barred strings. Arch it so it clears the index below and presses with the tip.
The low E rings out: It is not part of C#m6. Start the strum on the A string, or let the tip of the ring finger brush the low E to keep it quiet.
The index barre is patchy: It only has to cover the D and B strings at the 2nd fret, not the whole neck. Keep it low and flat across those two and let the other fingers stand on their tips.

What makes it a C#m6

C♯ · E · G♯ · A♯ 1 ♭3 5 6

C#m6 is a C sharp minor triad (C sharp, E, G sharp) with an A sharp added: the major sixth, nine half steps above the root. Keeping the sixth major against the flat third is the whole trick; it makes the chord sound like an open question.

Read from A sharp, the same four notes spell A#m7b5, the half diminished chord. C#m6 is also an F#9 without its root, which explains why it slips so easily into progressions heading for B.

C#m6 vs C#m7

C#m7 adds a B to C sharp minor and sounds settled. C#m6 adds an A sharp instead, one fret lower, and the calm disappears: the chord leans forward and asks for the next one.

There is a practical difference as well. C#m7 in this key is usually a full barre, while this C#m6 needs only a two string index barre at the 2nd fret, so it can be the easier of the pair to grab.

C#m6 chord questions

Is C#m6 the same as Dbm6?

Yes. C sharp and D flat name the same pitch, and guitarists nearly always write the minor chords on this root with sharps, so C#m6 is the spelling used here.

What is the difference between C#m6 and C#m7?

One note. C#m7 has a B, C#m6 has an A sharp, one fret lower. The seventh softens the minor; the sixth makes it tense.

Is C#m6 the same as A#m7b5?

The notes are identical: C sharp, E, G sharp and A sharp. C sharp in the bass gives C#m6, A sharp in the bass gives the half diminished chord.

Do you strum all six strings in C#m6?

No. Five, from the A string down. The low E is not part of the chord.

Where is C#m6 used?

As the iv chord in A flat, as a colour chord in C sharp minor, and in jazz and older songwriting, where a minor sixth often replaces the minor seventh.