Dm6 Piano Chord

Dm6 is the D minor sixth chord. It has four notes: D, F, A and B. Every one of them is a white key, which makes it the only minor sixth chord with no black keys at all.

1D2F3A5BC4C5

D at the bottom, then F, A and B. Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1. Every key is white.

How to play Dm6 on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the D above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): D
  3. Index finger (2): F
  4. Middle finger (3): A
  5. Little finger (5): B
  6. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 3, 2, 1 an octave lower, or just D on its own as a bass note.

Play Dm, then Dm6, then Dm again: hold D, F and A still and add the little finger on B. On all white keys the change is easy to see as well as hear.

Inversions of Dm6

The same 4 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are Dm6; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionF A B D
Dm6 piano chord diagram, first inversion, F A B D
Lighter than root position, with the minor third leading. A comfortable shape for walking down toward an A chord.
Second inversionA B D F
Dm6 piano chord diagram, second inversion, A B D F
Open and unresolved. A and B a whole step apart at the bottom give the chord the feel of a step on the way somewhere.
Third inversionB D F A
Dm6 piano chord diagram, third inversion, B D F A
With B underneath, these four notes are exactly Bm7b5, the half diminished chord, and that is the name most charts would give it.

If it does not sound right

It sounds like a plain D minor
The B is missing or too quiet. It is the little finger's note and it carries the entire character of the chord; let the hand lean slightly outward so it speaks.
The chord sounds settled instead of restless
The top note is B, not C. C would make it Dm7, the calm cousin. Count up from A: skip B flat, land on B natural.
The middle notes blur
F and A sit under the index and middle fingers. Drop the hand as one shape so all four notes arrive together instead of rolling.

What makes it a Dm6

D · F · A · B 1 ♭3 5 6

Dm6 is a D minor triad, D, F and A, with a B added: the major sixth, nine half steps above the root. The sixth stays major even though the chord is minor, and on this root the whole result lands on white keys, the only minor sixth chord that does.

It is the iv chord in A and a standby of jazz and older pop, where it usually walks to A. The same four notes read from B spell Bm7b5, the half diminished chord, and the bass note decides which of the two the ear hears.

Dm6 vs Dm7

Both add a fourth note to D minor. Dm7 adds C and sounds soft and settled; Dm6 adds B, one white key lower, and sounds like a held breath.

Hold D, F and A and rock the top finger between C and B. Two neighbouring white keys, two completely different moods, and the fastest way to learn what the sixth does.

Questions about Dm6

Which notes are in a Dm6 chord on piano?

D, F, A and B. All four are white keys; Dm6 is the only minor sixth chord that needs no black key.

What is the difference between Dm6 and Dm7?

The top note. Dm7 has C and relaxes; Dm6 has B, the next white key down, and pushes forward.

What fingers do you use for Dm6?

Right hand: thumb on D, index on F, middle on A, little finger on B, which is 1, 2, 3 and 5. Left hand plays 5, 3, 2, 1.

Is the B in Dm6 natural or flat?

Natural. The minor sixth chord takes its sixth from the major scale, so Dm6 uses B, not B flat.

Where is Dm6 used?

As the iv chord in A, and in jazz and older pop. It is also the classic sound of a minor chord about to move, which is why film and theatre scores lean on it.

Chords to learn next

Other D chords