Cm6

Cm6 is C, Eb, G and A, a minor sixth. The shape this page opens on is written x31213, lowest string first.

Note by note. C is the root, Eb is the minor third, G is the fifth and A is the sixth.

Also written Cmin6, C-6 or C minor 6. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Cm6 on the guitar, and 32 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Cm6 and you have Cm (with one note taken away), Cdim7 (with one note moved), Cm69 (with one note added), Cm7 (with one note moved), CmMaj7 (with one note moved) or Cmadd9 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Cm6 belongs to G minor (the iv) and Bb major (the ii).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x31213, x3524x, x35x45, xx5545, x6758x, 8x7888, 8-10-10-8-10-8, x-x-10-12-10-11, x-15-13-14-13-15.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Cm6 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 1st fret. 3 of the 9 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 1st fret to the 15th.

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. Cm6 has x312xx, 867xxx, x-15-13-14-x-x, x3x24x, 8x78xx, 8-12-13-x-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Cm6 has 3312xx, x0101x, xx1213, xx5545, 5655xx, xx7888, x-10-10-8-10-x, x-x-10-12-10-11.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Cm6 has 3x121x, x3x243, 5x554x, x6x585, 8x788x, x-10-x-8-10-8, 11-x-10-12-10-x, x-12-x-12-13-11.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Cm6 has 5600xx, x0304x.

Tensions. A shell of Cm6, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (D) and the 11 (F).

What kind of chord this is. Cm6 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.