C♯m6 chord on piano
C♯m6 is C♯, E, G♯ and A♯. C♯ sits on the black key between C and D. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.
root position · C♯–E–G♯–A♯ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- C♯ · E · G♯ · A♯
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6
How to play C♯m6 on piano
Count keys (black and white) from C♯: 3 half steps up to E, 4 half steps up to G♯ then 2 half steps up to A♯. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on C♯, 2 on E, 3 on G♯ and 5 on A♯.
- Left hand: 5 on C♯, 3 on E, 2 on G♯ and 1 on A♯.
- On the keyboard it's black, white, black and black keys, the same pattern as F♯m6, so your hand shape carries over.
C♯m6 inversions
- root position: C♯–E–G♯–A♯. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: E–G♯–A♯–C♯, E lowest. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: G♯–A♯–C♯–E, G♯ lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: A♯–C♯–E–G♯, with A♯ at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
Nobody plays every chord in root position. The inversions let C♯m6 sit wherever the previous chord left your hand.
Changing from C♯m6 to the chords around it
Songs rarely hold C♯m6 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.
- F♯ (V in B major): C♯m6 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♯ on piano
- E (IV in B major): C♯m6 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 on piano
- B (I in B major): C♯m6 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 on piano
C♯m6 is C♯ minor with a major sixth added. C♯m6 sounds moody and cinematic and often replaces C♯m as the home chord of a minor jazz tune. Play it solid and then broken to hear the difference.
Practice C♯m6 in two minutes
Roll the chord up and back down, C♯, E, G♯, A♯, G♯, E, C♯, before playing it as a block. Finish with the inversions in order: C♯–E–G♯–A♯; E–G♯–A♯–C♯; G♯–A♯–C♯–E; A♯–C♯–E–G♯.
The keys of C♯m6
C♯m6 is a minor sixth chord, 1–♭3–5–6 from C♯. Root position, from the bottom: how C♯m6 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| E | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| G♯ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| A♯ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | major sixth |
D♭m6 is another spelling of C♯m6. Same keys, same sound.
Where C♯m6 shows up
C♯m6 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: C♯m6 on guitar and C♯m6 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Related C♯ chords on piano
Other minor sixth chords
C♯m6 on piano: questions
What notes are in C♯m6 on piano?
C♯, E, G♯ and A♯: C♯ (black key), E (white key), G♯ (black key) and A♯ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play C♯m6 on piano?
Press C♯, E, G♯ and A♯ together (3 black, 1 white). Right hand: 1 on C♯, 2 on E, 3 on G♯ and 5 on A♯.
What are the inversions of C♯m6?
1st inversion (E–G♯–A♯–C♯), 2nd inversion (G♯–A♯–C♯–E) and 3rd inversion (A♯–C♯–E–G♯), after root position (C♯–E–G♯–A♯). Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
What does C♯m6 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, black and black keys, the same pattern as F♯m6, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Every shape above plays only C♯, E, G♯ and A♯, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.