B minor sixth (Bm6) chord on ukulele

The B minor sixth chord (Bm6) is a minor sixth chord (a minor triad plus a major sixth), made of four notes: B – D – F♯ – G♯.

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 4medium

Position 7medium

Position 10medium

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What the Bm6 chord sounds like

A minor sixth chord is a minor triad with a major sixth: dark but taut, with a film-noir feel. It is a common minor tonic in gypsy jazz, tango and jazz.

Notes of the Bm6 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	B	root
3	D	minor third (3 semitones)
5	F♯	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
6	G♯	major sixth (9 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (A): fret 2, little finger (B4)
String 2 (E): fret 2, ring finger (F♯4)
String 3 (C): fret 2, middle finger (D4)
String 4 (G): fret 1, index finger (G♯4)

Position 4

String 1 (A): fret 5, ring finger (D5)
String 2 (E): fret 4, middle finger (G♯4)
String 3 (C): fret 6, little finger (F♯4)
String 4 (G): fret 4, index finger (B4)

Position 7

String 1 (A): fret 9, little finger (F♯5)
String 2 (E): fret 7, middle finger (B4)
String 3 (C): fret 8, ring finger (G♯4)
String 4 (G): fret 7, index finger (D5)

Tuning: G C E A (the G string is higher than the C – standard re-entrant ukulele tuning). In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The Bm6 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

F♯ minor: iv6 (subdominant)
A major: ii6

Similar chords and substitutes

If Bm6 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

D – relative major: two shared notes
G – the major chord a major third below: two shared notes
Bm7 – a fuller, softer minor colour

Same notes

A♭m7b5 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

Bm – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Bm6 chord?

B, D, F♯, G♯. The root is B; the intervals of the other notes from the root: minor third, perfect fifth, major sixth.

What is the easiest way to play Bm6 on ukulele?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”. We show 4 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some Bm6 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 4-note chord. The fifth (F♯) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

Why do some songbooks write H instead of B?

In German and Central European notation, H is the note B, and B is the note B♭. So a “B” chord in a German or Hungarian songbook is B♭ in English notation, and an “H” chord is B. Always check which notation your chord chart uses.