Fm6 Ukulele Chord

Fm6 is the F minor sixth chord. It has four notes: F, A flat, C and D. The standard ukulele shape is the familiar Fm with one change: the C string is fretted at the 2nd fret, turning the open C into a D, the sixth.

The Fm grip with the C string fretted: index lying across the G and E strings at the 1st fret, middle adding the D on the C string, ring finger on the C at the 3rd fret of the A string.

How to play Fm6 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the G to E strings at fret 1
Middle finger: 2nd fret, C string
Ring finger: 3rd fret, A string
Strum all four strings.

The C string tells the family story: open it is C and the chord is plain Fm, at the 2nd fret it is D and the chord is Fm6, at the 3rd it is E flat and the chord is Fm7. The rest of the grip never moves.

More ways to play Fm6

There are 3 common Fm6 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.

Fm6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 4 to 5, played 5545 — Frets 4 to 5

Fm6 ukulele chord diagram, frets 7 to 8, played 7888 — Frets 7 to 8

If the barre will not behave

A string dies under the index: The index lies across the G and E strings at the 1st fret with the C string fretted above it in between. Flatten the finger deliberately across both and let its middle arch slightly over the C string.
The D is missing: The middle finger holds it at the 2nd fret of the C string, and it is the sixth, the note the chord is named for. If the chord sounds like plain F minor, that string has slipped back to ringing open.
The ring finger reach feels long: It takes the C at the 3rd fret of the A string while the index stays at the 1st. Point the neck slightly upward and bring the elbow in, and the diagonal becomes a natural hand shape.

What makes it an Fm6

F · A♭ · C · D 1 ♭3 5 6

Fm6 is an F minor triad (F, A flat, C) with a D 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 spell Dm7b5, the half diminished chord. Fm6 is the iv chord in C, the borrowed minor chord in the old cadence F, Fm6, C, and a standby of jazz and older pop.

Fm6 vs Fm7

Both add a fourth note to F minor. Fm7 adds an E flat and settles the chord; Fm6 adds a D, one fret lower, and unsettles it. A semitone of difference, and the mood flips.

On the ukulele the two differ only on the C string, 3rd fret against 2nd, with the same small barre underneath. The m7 is the smoother, more modern sound; the m6 is older, sharper, and always slightly on its way somewhere.

Fm6 chord questions

What is the difference between Fm6 and Fm7?

One note on the C string. At the 3rd fret it is E flat, which makes Fm7; at the 2nd it is D, which makes Fm6. 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 Fm6 the same as Dm7b5?

The four notes are the same: F, A flat, C and D. With the music centred on F you hear Fm6; centred on D it is Dm7b5, the half diminished chord.

Where have I heard Fm6?

In the cadence F, Fm6, C: the major chord turning briefly minor before settling home. Old pop, jazz standards and torch songs use that move constantly, and Fm6 is its colour.

Is Fm6 movable?

Yes. Nothing in the shape rings open, so the whole grip slides: one fret up it becomes F#m6, two frets up Gm6.