C#m6 — minor sixth
Also written Dbm6 — the same chord, spelled the other way.
Notes in C#m6: C# – E – G# – A#Formula: 1 – b3 – 5 – 6In the formula, the numbers count steps of the major scale starting from the note that names the chord; "b" lowers a half step, "#" raises one — and a slash names the bass note.
The minor sixth adds the major sixth to the minor triad. It has a particularly expressive and ambiguous color, between the minor tonic and the minor subdominant.
The same chord on all four instruments
Where to use it: It works as an elegant closing chord in minor songs, when a plain minor feels like too little. It is also the movie-style surprise chord when borrowed into a major key — Fm6 showing up in a song in C, for instance.
This is just one shape of C#m6. In Chord & Fret, you check it note by note, playing any shape as an arpeggio; compare positions with their difficulty marked; and change the tuning — the shape rewrites itself. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. Plays offline.
See the whole neck in Chord & Fret →Part of the Sixths family.