Cm6 chord
Cm6 is C, E♭, G and A: 1–♭3–5–6 built on C. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
x-3-5-2-4-x · movable · medium
- Notes
- C · E♭ · G · A
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6
- First shape
- x-3-5-2-4-x
Cm6 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · C–E♭–G–A · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- C · E♭ · G · A
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6
Cm6 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
2-3-3-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- C · E♭ · G · A
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6
- First shape
- 2-3-3-3
Cm6 and the chords around it
Here's what the hand does on the most common changes, on guitar and on piano.
- Cm6 → F (V in B♭ major)
Guitar: Cm6 (x-3-5-2-4-x) to F (1-3-3-2-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Listen for C and A, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: Cm6 to F: play F in 2nd inversion (C–F–A) and C and A stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves up to F. F - Cm6 → E♭ (IV in B♭ major)
Guitar: Cm6 (x-3-5-2-4-x) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): your index finger lands on the D string, 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the high E string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared notes: E♭ and G.
Piano: Cm6 to E♭: play E♭ in root position (E♭–G–B♭) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while A moves up to B♭. E♭ - Cm6 → B♭ (I in B♭ major)
Guitar: Cm6 (x-3-5-2-4-x) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, your ring finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go.
Piano: Cm6 to B♭: play B♭ in 1st inversion (D–F–B♭), while E♭ moves down to D, E♭ up to F and A up to B♭. B♭
Guitar with a capo: capo 3, Am6 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 3, Am6 shape.
How Cm6 is built
Cm6 is C minor with a major sixth added. It sounds moody and cinematic, a favorite in gypsy jazz and film noir, and works as the home chord of a minor key.
From C, go 3 half steps up to E♭, 4 half steps up to G then 2 half steps up to A.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | root | 0 | |
| E♭ | minor third | 3 | |
| G | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| A | major sixth | 9 |
Keys and progressions with Cm6
No major or natural minor key contains Cm6 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
Chords close to Cm6
- Cm6 is Cm plus A. Cm
Chords that share most of their notes with Cm6: Am7♭5, F9, Cm, Adim, Cm7, C6.
Every C chord
Cm6 chord: questions
What notes are in the Cm6 chord?
C, E♭, G and A. Cm6 is built 1–♭3–5–6 from C: E♭ is the minor third, G is the perfect fifth and A is the major sixth.
How do you play Cm6 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-3-5-2-4-x (movable). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play Cm6 on piano?
Play C, E♭, G and A with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. C sits just left of the pair of black keys. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play Cm6 on ukulele?
2-3-3-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is Cm6 in?
No major or natural minor key contains Cm6 as one of its own chords; it turns up as a passing chord on the way somewhere else.
What's the difference between Cm6 and Cm?
Cm6 is Cm plus A.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes C, E♭, G and A and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.