F#m6 Piano Chord
F#m6 is the F sharp minor sixth chord. It has four notes: F sharp, A, C sharp and D sharp. Three of them are black keys; the A under the index finger is the only white one.
F♯ at the bottom, then A, C♯ and D♯. Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1. A is the only white key.
How to play F#m6 on piano, step by step
- Start on the F♯ above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
- Thumb (1): F♯
- Index finger (2): A
- Middle finger (3): C♯
- Little finger (5): D♯
- 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 F♯ on its own as a bass note.
Thumb, middle and little finger all sit on black keys, so keep the hand deep in the keyboard and let the index finger reach forward and down to A.
Inversions of F#m6
The same 4 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are F#m6; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.
If it sounds off
- The chord sounds calm instead of restless
- The top note is D sharp, not E. E natural would make it F#m7. The sixth is the black key just below E.
- The white A disappears
- With three fingers on black keys the index has to drop to a lower, wider key. Keep it curved so A speaks as clearly as its black neighbours.
- C sharp and D sharp blur together
- They are neighbouring black keys under fingers 3 and 5. Keep both fingers on their tips so each note is struck, not brushed.
What makes it an F#m6
F♯ · A · C♯ · D♯ 1 ♭3 5 6
F#m6 is an F sharp minor triad, F sharp, A and C sharp, with a D sharp added: the major sixth, nine half steps above the root. The sixth stays major even though the chord is minor, which is exactly the thing that separates it from F#m7.
It is the iv chord in C sharp and a standby of jazz and older pop, where it usually walks to C sharp. The same four notes read from D sharp spell D#m7b5, the half diminished chord, and the bass note decides which one the ear hears.
F#m6 vs F#m7
Both add a fourth note to F sharp minor. F#m7 adds E, a white key, and settles; F#m6 adds D sharp, the black key just below it, and leans forward.
Hold F sharp, A and C sharp and rock the little finger between E and D sharp. That single key swap flips the chord between rest and motion.
Questions about F#m6
Is F#m6 the same as Gbm6?
Yes, one chord with two spellings. The minor family is usually written with sharps, so F sharp is the name used here.
What is the difference between F#m6 and F#m7?
The top note. F#m7 has E and relaxes; F#m6 has D sharp, one key lower, and creates the tension the chord is for.
What fingers do you use for F#m6?
Right hand: thumb on F sharp, index on A, middle on C sharp, little finger on D sharp, which is 1, 2, 3 and 5. Left hand plays 5, 3, 2, 1.
Why does a minor chord have a major sixth?
The sixth is measured from the major scale. F#m6 flattens the third to A but keeps D sharp, and that mismatch is the character of every minor sixth chord.
Where is F#m6 used?
As the iv chord in C sharp, and in jazz, film music and older songwriting, wherever an F sharp minor has to move rather than sit.
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