Cm6 Ukulele Chord

Cm6 is the C minor sixth chord. It has four notes: C, E flat, G and A. The standard ukulele shape is the familiar Cm at the 3rd fret with one extra finger: the G string fretted at the 2nd, which turns the open G into an A.

The Cm shape at the 3rd fret with the index added at the 2nd fret of the G string, turning the open fifth into the sixth. One finger per string.

How to play Cm6 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 2nd fret, G string
Middle finger: 3rd fret, C string
Ring finger: 3rd fret, E string
Pinky finger: 3rd fret, A string
Strum all four strings.

Play Cm 0333 first, then add the index at the 2nd fret of the G string and strum again. That one finger is the whole difference between C minor and C minor sixth, and hearing it click in is the fastest way to learn what the sixth adds.

More ways to play Cm6

There are 3 common Cm6 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.

Cm6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 3 to 5, played 0353 — Frets 3 to 5

Cm6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 5 to 6, played 0056 — Frets 5 to 6

If the four fingers fight

The G string buzzes: The index holds it at the 2nd fret while three fingers work at the 3rd. Keep it close behind the fret wire; with the other fingers pulling the hand up the neck it tends to drift back and buzz.
The row at the 3rd fret is crowded: Middle, ring and pinky share one fret across three strings. Stack them in a diagonal rather than a straight line, or lay one finger flat across all three and keep only the index separate.
It sounds like plain Cm: Then the G string is still ringing open. Open G is the fifth of C minor; fretted at the 2nd it becomes A, the sixth, and that note is the point of the chord.

What makes it a Cm6

C · E♭ · G · A 1 ♭3 5 6

Cm6 is a C minor triad (C, E flat, G) with an A 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 spell Am7b5, the half diminished chord. Cm6 is the iv chord in G and a standby of jazz and older pop, where it usually walks to G rather than sitting still.

Cm6 vs Cm7

Both add a fourth note to C minor. Cm7 adds a B flat and settles the chord; Cm6 adds an A, one fret lower, and unsettles it. A semitone of difference, and the mood flips.

On the ukulele both start from the same Cm at the 3rd fret and change what the G string does: Cm7 frets it at the 3rd, Cm6 at the 2nd. One finger sliding one fret is the entire distance between the two chords.

Cm6 chord questions

What is the difference between Cm6 and Cm7?

One note on the G string. Fret it at the 3rd fret and you get B flat, which makes Cm7; fret it at the 2nd and you get A, which makes Cm6. The seventh relaxes the chord, the sixth sharpens it.

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 Cm6 the same as Am7b5?

The four notes are the same: C, E flat, G and A. With the music centred on C you hear Cm6; centred on A it is Am7b5, the half diminished chord.

Is there an easier Cm6?

The second shape on this page keeps the G string open and spreads three fingers between the 3rd and 5th frets. It rings more openly than the standard shape and is kinder to a crowded hand.

Where is Cm6 used?

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