Em6 Guitar Chord

Em6 is the E minor sixth chord. It has four notes: E, G, B and C sharp. It is an E minor chord with a C sharp added, and the open shape keeps all six strings in play.

An open E minor with the B string pressed at the 2nd fret to give the sixth. Three fingers, six strings, no barre.

How to play Em6, step by step

Index finger: 2nd fret, A string
Middle finger: 2nd fret, D string
Ring finger: 2nd fret, B string
Strum all six strings.

Play Em, then Em6. Only the B string changes, and the chord goes from settled to suspenseful. That is the sound minor sixth chords are hired for.

More ways to play Em6

There are 2 common Em6 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.

Em6 guitar chord diagram, barre at fret 5, played x75657 — Barre at fret 5

If it sounds muddy

The open G string disappears: The finger on the D string above it is leaning over. Stand the finger up and press with the tip so the open G rings.
The B string note is weak: It carries the C sharp, the note that makes the chord a sixth. Press right behind the 2nd fret so it sounds as clearly as the open strings around it.
It sounds too dark: Six strings with two low E notes is a lot of bottom. Strum a little nearer the neck, or skip the low E if the chord swamps the song.

What makes it an Em6

E · G · B · C♯ 1 ♭3 5 6

Em6 is an E minor triad (E, G, B) with a C sharp added, the major sixth. The third stays flat, the sixth stays natural, and that pairing is the whole character of the chord: minor, but unsettled.

The same four notes read from C sharp spell C#m7b5. Em6 is also an A9 with no A in it, which is why it sits so comfortably before a D chord.

Em6 vs Em7

Em7 adds a D to E minor and is one of the easiest and calmest chords on the guitar. Em6 adds a C sharp, a fret lower, and sounds like something is about to happen.

The shapes are close: both start from open Em, and where Em7 lifts a finger, Em6 moves one to the 2nd fret of the B string. Playing them one after another is the quickest way to hear a sixth against a seventh.

Em6 chord questions

What is the difference between Em6 and Em7?

Em7 has a D, Em6 has a C sharp. One fret apart, and the difference between the most restful minor chord on the guitar and one of the most tense.

Why is the sixth natural when the chord is minor?

Because the sixth is measured from the major scale. A minor sixth chord flattens the third and leaves the sixth alone, and the clash between them is the sound of the chord.

Is Em6 the same as C#m7b5?

The four notes match: E, G, B and C sharp. E in the bass gives Em6; C sharp in the bass gives the half diminished chord.

Is Em6 hard to play?

No. It is three fingers in the first two frets, all six strings sounding, and no barre. It is one of the easiest minor sixth chords.

Where is Em6 used?

As the iv chord in B, as a suspense chord in songs in E minor, and throughout jazz and film music, where minor sixths often replace plain minor chords.