F#m6 Ukulele Chord

F#m6 is the F sharp minor sixth chord. It has four notes: F sharp, A, C sharp and D sharp. The standard ukulele shape is a small barre at the 2nd fret with the D sharp sixth fretted on the C string above it.

A small barre across the G and E strings at the 2nd fret, middle finger on the sixth at the 3rd fret of the C string, ring finger on the fifth at the 4th of the A. The Fm6 grip, one fret up.

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

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

This is the Fm6 grip moved up one fret, and it keeps moving: two more frets and it is G#m6. Whatever note the barre finds on the E string is the root of the chord.

More ways to play F#m6

There are 3 common F#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.

F#m6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 5 to 6, played 6656 — Frets 5 to 6

F#m6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 8 to 9, played 8999 — Frets 8 to 9

If the barre will not behave

A string dies under the index: The index lies across the G and E strings at the 2nd fret while the C string is fretted at the 3rd between them. Flatten it across both strings and let its middle arch over the C.
The D sharp is missing: The middle finger holds it at the 3rd fret of the C string, and it is the sixth, the note the chord is named for. Without it the shape collapses into a plain minor.
The ring finger reach feels long: It takes the C sharp at the 4th fret of the A string while the barre stays at the 2nd. Bring the thumb behind the 3rd fret and the diagonal stops feeling like a stretch.

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

F#m6 vs F#m7

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

The m7 is the everyday chord of pop and folk; the m6 belongs to jazz, tango and older songwriting. When a chart in a sharp key asks for m6 colour, this barre grip at the 2nd fret is usually the practical answer.

F#m6 chord questions

Is F#m6 the same as Gbm6?

Yes, one chord with two spellings. Sharp keys are where this chord usually appears, so F sharp is the name used here.

What is the difference between F#m6 and F#m7?

One note. F#m7 has an E, F#m6 has a D sharp, one fret lower. The seventh relaxes the chord, the sixth sharpens it.

Is F#m6 the same as D#m7b5?

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

Is F#m6 movable?

Yes. Nothing rings open, so the grip slides: one fret down it is Fm6, two frets up G#m6. The note under the barre on the E string names the chord.

Where is F#m6 used?

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