Em6 Ukulele Chord

Em6 is the E minor sixth chord. It has four notes: E, G, B and C sharp. On a ukulele it is a gentle two finger shape: the G and E strings ring open while the index and middle fret the C sharp and B.

Index at the 1st fret of the C string, middle at the 2nd of the A, with the G and E strings open. The C sharp under the index is the sixth.

How to play Em6 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 1st fret, C string
Middle finger: 2nd fret, A string
Leave the G and E strings open. Strum all four strings.

Em6 is also Em7 0202 with one finger moved: drop the C string from the 2nd fret to the 1st and the D becomes a C sharp. That one fret is the entire distance between the seventh and the sixth.

More ways to play Em6

There are 3 common Em6 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.

Em6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 4 to 7, played 0474 — Frets 4 to 7

Em6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 6 to 7, played 6777 — Frets 6 to 7

If it sounds wrong

The open strings are dull: The two fretted fingers are leaning on their open neighbours. Arch both so the open G and E can ring; they carry the flat third and the root, half the chord between them.
The C sharp is weak: The index holds it at the 1st fret of the C string, and it is the sixth, the note the chord is named for. Press close behind the fret and check the string speaks on its own.
It sounds like Em7 instead: Then the index has drifted to the 2nd fret of the C string, which is D, the seventh. The sixth lives one fret lower. Small move, different chord.

What makes it an Em6

E · G · B · C♯ 1 ♭3 5 6

Em6 is an E minor triad (E, G, B) with a C 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 C sharp spell C#m7b5, the half diminished chord. Em6 is the iv chord in B and a standby of jazz and older pop; it is also a favourite final chord, the minor ending that refuses to sound completely finished.

Em6 vs Em7

Both add a fourth note to E minor. Em7 adds a D and settles the chord; Em6 adds a C sharp, one fret lower, and unsettles it. A semitone of difference, and the mood flips.

On the ukulele they are the same two finger layout one fret apart on the C string: 0202 for the m7, 0102 for the m6. Swap between them without moving the middle finger and you can hear exactly what each added note does.

Em6 chord questions

What is the difference between Em6 and Em7?

One note on the C string. At the 2nd fret it is D, which makes Em7; at the 1st it is C sharp, which makes Em6. 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 Em6 the same as C#m7b5?

The four notes are the same: E, G, B and C sharp. With the music centred on E you hear Em6; centred on C sharp it is C#m7b5, the half diminished chord.

Is Em6 hard to play?

No. The standard shape is two fingers at the 1st and 2nd frets with two open strings, one of the easier minor sixth chords on the instrument.

Where is Em6 used?

As the iv chord in B, as a colour on the tonic in E minor, and as an ending chord in jazz and older popular song, where a plain minor would sound too plain.