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B♭ minor 6th chord on guitar (B♭m6)
Also called or written B♭m6, B♭min6, B♭min maj6 or B♭ Minor Major 6
B♭ minor 6th contains B♭, D♭, F, and G. The open voicing is advanced because the pinky must stretch to the 3rd fret on the D string while the other fingers hold a close cluster.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, 6
- Root positionB♭–D♭–F–GB♭m6×-1-3-0-2-1
- First inversionD♭–F–G–B♭B♭m6/D♭9-8-8-10-8-9
- Second inversionF–G–B♭–D♭B♭m6/F1-1-3-0-2-×
- Third inversionG–B♭–D♭–FB♭m6/G3-1-3-0-2-×
How do you play a B♭ minor 6th chord on guitar?
B♭ minor 6th is played in open position as × 1 3 0 2 1: index finger on the A string at fret 1, pinky finger on the D string at fret 3, ring finger on the B string at fret 2 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 1. The G string rings open. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 | B♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 4 | F (5) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (6) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 3 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 2 | F (5) |
AdvancedThe pinky must stretch to the 3rd fret on the D string while the other fingers hold a close cluster on the A and B strings.
Open · G on top
B♭ minor 6th is played in open position as × 1 3 0 2 3: index finger on the A string at fret 1, ring finger on the D string at fret 3, middle finger on the B string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3. The G string rings open. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 | B♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 3 | F (5) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (6) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 2 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 4 | G (6) |
6th fret
B♭ minor 6th is played at the 6th fret as 6 8 8 6 8 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the A string at fret 8, ring finger on the D string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 8.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 2 | F (5) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 3 | B♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 4 | G (6) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
8th fret
B♭ minor 6th is played at the 8th fret as × × 8 10 8 9: index finger on the D string at fret 8, pinky finger on the G string at fret 10, middle finger on the B string at fret 8 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 9. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 | B♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 4 | F (5) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 2 | G (6) |
| 1 (e) | 9 | 3 | D♭ (♭3) |
11th fret
B♭ minor 6th is played at the 11th fret as × 13 11 12 11 13: barre your index finger across fret 11, ring finger on the A string at fret 13, middle finger on the G string at fret 12 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 13. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 3 | B♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 11 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 2 | G (6) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 4 | F (5) |
Why it sounds like that
B♭ minor 6th is built from the formula 1, ♭3, 5, 6. The major 6th, G, adds a bright, unresolved colour to the minor triad. Compare it to B♭ minor, which stops at the 5th.
What goes wrong with B♭ minor 6th?
- Letting the pinky collapse onto the G string and deaden its open note.
- Strumming the low E string, which is muted because its open note is outside the chord.
When to use it
B♭ minor 6th works as a tonic in B♭ minor progressions, such as B♭m6–E♭m6–F7. Its bittersweet colour suits jazz ballads and folk fingerpicking. Try it with B♭ minor or B♭ 5th.
Changing to and from B♭ minor 6th
- Move from B♭ minor 6th to B♭ minor by lifting the pinky off the D string and letting it ring open.
- Slide the shape down two frets to the 4th fret to play A♭ minor 6th.
Which voicing to use
The open voicing keeps the bass on B♭ and suits strummed passages. The 6th fret barre voicing keeps the same bass note but adds fullness for higher-register lines.
Other B♭ chords
Common questions
How is B♭ minor 6th written?
B♭ minor 6th is written B♭m6, min maj6, or B♭min6. The ASCII root is Bb. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between B♭ minor 6th and B♭ minor 7th?
B♭ minor 6th has a major 6th (G), while B♭ minor 7th has a minor 7th (A♭). The 6th gives a brighter, more melodic colour.
Why is the low E string muted in the open voicing?
The low E is muted because its open note is outside the chord. Letting it ring would add a non-chord tone and muddy the voicing.