Am6 Ukulele Chord

Am6 is the A minor sixth chord. It has four notes: A, C, E and F sharp. On a ukulele the standard shape is a small barre across three strings at the 2nd fret, with the F sharp ringing in the middle of the chord.

A small barre across the G, C and E strings at the 2nd fret, with the ring finger reaching the 4th fret of the C string and the middle finger on the A. The F sharp sits on the E string, inside the chord.

How to play Am6 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the G to E strings at fret 2
Middle finger: 3rd fret, A string
Ring finger: 4th fret, C string
Strum all four strings.

Nothing in the grip uses an open string, so it is movable: slide the whole shape up two frets and it becomes Bm6. Whatever the barre note on the G string is, that is the chord.

More ways to play Am6

There are 3 common Am6 shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Am6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 5 to 6, played 5600 — Frets 5 to 6

Am6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 8 to 9, played 9989 — Frets 8 to 9

If it sounds muddled

The E string dies under the barre: The index has to hold the G and E strings at the 2nd fret while the C string is fretted above it. Roll the finger slightly onto its edge so both strings get the bone rather than the soft pad.
The ring finger is a stretch: It reaches the 4th fret of the C string while the barre stays at the 2nd. Bring the thumb behind the neck, roughly opposite the 3rd fret, and the hand opens up enough to reach.
It sounds like a plain Am: Then the F sharp is missing. It sits on the E string under the barre, and it is the one note that makes the chord a sixth. Pick the strings one at a time and make sure all four speak.

What makes it an Am6

A · C · E · F♯ 1 ♭3 5 6

Am6 is an A minor triad (A, C, E) with an F sharp added: the major sixth, nine half steps above the root. The third is flat and the sixth is not, and that mismatch is what makes a minor sixth chord sound restless rather than simply sad.

The same four notes read from F sharp spell F#m7b5, the half diminished chord. Am6 is the iv chord in E and a standby of jazz and older pop, where it usually walks to E rather than sitting still.

Am6 vs Am7

Both add a fourth note to A minor. Am7 adds a G and sounds soft and settled; Am6 adds an F sharp, one fret lower on the E string, and sounds tense and questioning. A semitone of difference, and the mood flips.

Am7 is also the easiest chord on the instrument, the four open strings, while Am6 needs a small barre. The m7 is the chord pop reaches for; the m6 belongs to jazz, swing and older songwriting, where its job is to keep a minor passage moving.

Am6 chord questions

What is the difference between Am6 and Am7?

One note. Am7 has a G, Am6 has an F sharp, one fret lower. The seventh relaxes the chord, the sixth sharpens it. On a ukulele they also feel opposite: Am7 is the open strings, Am6 is a barre.

Why does a minor chord have a major sixth?

Because the sixth is measured from the major scale, not from the minor third. In a minor sixth chord the third is flattened and the sixth is not, and that deliberate mismatch is the whole sound of the chord.

Is Am6 the same as F#m7b5?

The four notes are the same: A, C, E and F sharp. Which name applies depends on the root the music treats as home. In a chart, Am6 and F#m7b5 usually point at the same grip.

Is Am6 movable?

Yes. The standard shape has no open strings, so the whole grip slides: two frets up it is Bm6, three frets up Cm6. The note under the barre on the G string names the chord.

Where is Am6 used?

As the iv chord in E, as a colour on the tonic in A minor, and all over jazz, swing and older popular song, where minor sixths routinely stand in for minor sevenths.