Abm6

Abm6 is Ab, Cb, Eb and F, a minor sixth. The shape this page opens on is written 4x3444, lowest string first.

Note by note. Ab is the root, Cb is the minor third, Eb is the fifth and F is the sixth.

Also written Abmin6, Ab-6 or Ab minor 6. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Abm6 on the guitar, and 28 derived voicings in 3 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Abm6 and you have Abm (with one note taken away), Abdim7 (with one note moved), Abm69 (with one note added), Abm7 (with one note moved), AbmMaj7 (with one note moved) or Abmadd9 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Abm6 belongs to Eb minor (the iv) and F# major (the ii).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 4x3444, x2314x, 466464, xx6867, x-11-9-10-9-11, x-11-13-10-12-x, x-11-13-x-12-13, x-x-13-13-12-13.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Abm6 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 3 of the 8 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 13th.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Abm6 has 423xxx, x-11-9-10-x-x, 4x34xx, x-11-x-10-12-x, 489xxx.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Abm6 has xx1101, 1211xx, xx3444, x6646x, xx6867, 7868xx, x8989x, 11-11-9-10-x-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Abm6 has x2x141, 1x110x, 4x344x, x6x464, 7x686x, x8x897, 11-x-9-10-9-x, x-11-x-10-12-11.

Tensions. A shell of Abm6, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (Bb) and the 11 (Db).

What kind of chord this is. Abm6 is a minor chord — root, minor third, fifth. minor chords on every root, and what they are for.

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.