Tools / Chords / G minor 6th

G minor 6th chord on guitar (Gm6)

Also written Gm6, Gmin6 or Gmin maj6

G minor 6th contains G, B♭, D, and E. The open voicing is advanced because the ring finger must stretch to the 3rd fret on the B string while the other fingers hold a close cluster.

Open · 3-1-0-0-3-03-1-0-0-3-0

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

G1Root

B♭♭3Minor 3rd

D5Perfect 5th

E6Major 6th

Formula 1, ♭3, 5, 6

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionG–B♭–D–EGm6Bass G

First inversionB♭–D–E–GGm6/B♭Bass B♭

Second inversionD–E–G–B♭Gm6/DBass D

Third inversionE–G–B♭–DGm6/EBass E

Why it sounds like that

G minor 6th is built from the formula 1, ♭3, 5, 6. The major 6th, E, adds a bright, unresolved colour to the minor triad. Compare it to G minor, which stops at the 5th.

What goes wrong with G minor 6th?

Letting the ring finger collapse onto the high e string and deaden its open note.
Strumming all six strings without fretting the B string cleanly, causing a buzz.

When to use it

G minor 6th works as a tonic in G minor progressions, such as Gm6–Cm6–D7. Its bittersweet colour suits jazz ballads and folk fingerpicking. Try it with G minor or G 5th.

Changing to and from G minor 6th

Move from G minor 6th to G minor by lifting the ring finger off the B string and letting it ring open.
Slide the shape up two frets to the 5th fret to play A minor 6th.

Which voicing to use

The open voicing keeps the bass on G and suits strummed passages. The 3rd fret barre voicing keeps the same bass note but adds fullness for higher-register lines.

How do you play a G minor 6th chord on guitar?

Open · 3-1-0-0-3-0

Beginner● On the diagram

G minor 6th is played in open position as 3 1 0 0 3 0: middle finger on the low E string at fret 3, index finger on the A string at fret 1 and ring finger on the B string at fret 3. The D, G and high e strings ring open.

Tip — The ring finger must stretch to the 3rd fret on the B string while the other fingers hold a close cluster on the low E and A strings.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	3	2	G (1)
5 (A)	1	1	B♭ (♭3)
4 (D)	open	—	D (5)
3 (G)	open	—	G (1)
2 (B)	3	3	D (5)
1 (e)	open	—	E (6)

Open · 3-1-0-3-3-0

Beginner

G minor 6th is played in open position as 3 1 0 3 3 0: middle finger on the low E string at fret 3, index finger on the A string at fret 1, ring finger on the G string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 3. The D and high e strings ring open.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	3	2	G (1)
5 (A)	1	1	B♭ (♭3)
4 (D)	open	—	D (5)
3 (G)	3	3	B♭ (♭3)
2 (B)	3	4	D (5)
1 (e)	open	—	E (6)

Open · 3-1-2-0-3-0

Beginner

G minor 6th is played in open position as 3 1 2 0 3 0: ring finger on the low E string at fret 3, index finger on the A string at fret 1, middle finger on the D string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 3. The G and high e strings ring open.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	3	3	G (1)
5 (A)	1	1	B♭ (♭3)
4 (D)	2	2	E (6)
3 (G)	open	—	G (1)
2 (B)	3	4	D (5)
1 (e)	open	—	E (6)

3rd fret

Barre

G minor 6th is played at the 3rd fret as 3 5 5 3 5 3: barre your index finger across fret 3, middle finger on the A string at fret 5, ring finger on the D string at fret 5 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 5.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	3	1 (barre)	G (1)
5 (A)	5	2	D (5)
4 (D)	5	3	G (1)
3 (G)	3	1 (barre)	B♭ (♭3)
2 (B)	5	4	E (6)
1 (e)	3	1 (barre)	G (1)

5th fret

Intermediate

G minor 6th is played at the 5th fret as × × 5 7 5 6: index finger on the D string at fret 5, pinky finger on the G string at fret 7, middle finger on the B string at fret 5 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 6. The low E and A strings stay muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	muted	—	—
4 (D)	5	1	G (1)
3 (G)	7	4	D (5)
2 (B)	5	2	E (6)
1 (e)	6	3	B♭ (♭3)

Common questions

How is G minor 6th written?

G minor 6th is written Gm6, min maj6, or Gmin6.

What is the difference between G minor 6th and G minor 7th?

G minor 6th has a major 6th (E), while G minor 7th has a minor 7th (F). The 6th gives a brighter, more melodic colour.

Why are all six strings played in the open voicing?

All six strings are played because every open string is a chord tone. The voicing is complete with no muted strings.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

G (1)

5 (A)

B♭ (♭3)

4 (D)

open

—

D (5)

3 (G)

open

—

G (1)

2 (B)

D (5)

1 (e)

open

—

E (6)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

G (1)

5 (A)

B♭ (♭3)

4 (D)

open

—

D (5)

3 (G)

B♭ (♭3)

2 (B)

D (5)

1 (e)

open

—

E (6)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

G (1)

5 (A)

B♭ (♭3)

4 (D)

E (6)

3 (G)

open

—

G (1)

2 (B)

D (5)

1 (e)

open

—

E (6)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

G (1)

5 (A)

D (5)

4 (D)

G (1)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

B♭ (♭3)

2 (B)

E (6)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

G (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

muted

—

4 (D)

G (1)

3 (G)

D (5)

2 (B)

E (6)

1 (e)

B♭ (♭3)