C#m6 Ukulele Chord

C#m6 is the C sharp minor sixth chord. It has four notes: C sharp, E, G sharp and A sharp. On a ukulele the standard shape sits at the 1st fret with the E string open: three light fingers, no barre, no stretch.

Three fingers at the 1st fret of the G, C and A strings with the E string open. The open string is the flat third; the fretted A string carries the sixth.

How to play C#m6 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 1st fret, G string
Middle finger: 1st fret, C string
Ring finger: 1st fret, A string
Leave the E string open. Strum all four strings.

The open E string carries the flat third, so the tuning does part of the work. Everything fretted sits at the 1st fret, which makes this one of the easiest minor sixth chords on the instrument.

More ways to play C#m6

There are 3 common C#m6 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.

C#m6 ukulele chord diagram, barre at fret 6, played 6867 — Barre at fret 6

C#m6 ukulele chord diagram, barre at fret 9, played 9 10 9 11 — Barre at fret 9

If it sounds wrong

The open E string is dull: The middle finger at the 1st fret of the C string is brushing it. Arch the fingers so the open string rings clear; it carries the flat third, the note that makes the chord minor.
The A sharp is weak: The ring finger holds it at the 1st fret of the A string, and it is the sixth, the note the chord is named for. Press with the tip and check it speaks on its own before strumming.
Three fingers feel crowded at one fret: Stack them diagonally: index on the G string, middle below it on the C, ring on the A. If it still feels tight, one finger laid gently across the three fretted strings works, as long as the E stays open.

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. 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 A sharp spell A#m7b5, the half diminished chord. C#m6 is the iv chord in A flat and a standby of jazz and older pop, where its job is to keep a minor passage moving rather than let it settle.

C#m6 vs C#m7

Both add a fourth note to C sharp minor. C#m7 adds a B and settles the chord; C#m6 adds an A sharp, one fret lower, and unsettles it. A semitone of difference, and the mood flips.

On the ukulele both live low on the neck around the same three note core. The m7 is the chord pop reaches for; the m6 belongs to jazz, tango and older songwriting, where it usually passes through on its way somewhere else.

C#m6 chord questions

Is C#m6 the same as Dbm6?

Yes, one chord with two spellings. Sharp keys are where this chord usually appears, so C sharp is the name 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 relaxes the chord, the sixth sharpens it.

Is C#m6 the same as A#m7b5?

The four notes are the same: C sharp, E, G sharp and A sharp. With the music centred on C sharp you hear C#m6; centred on A sharp it is A#m7b5, the half diminished chord.

Why is C#m6 so easy on ukulele?

The open E string is exactly the flat third of C sharp minor, so one of the four notes comes free and the other three line up at the 1st fret.

Where is C#m6 used?

As the iv chord in A flat, as a colour on the tonic in C sharp minor, and throughout jazz and older popular song, where minor sixths routinely stand in for minor sevenths.