Minor Sixth Chords

Let’s look at how to play an A flat minor 6 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other minor sixth chord.

What Are Minor Sixth Chords?

Minor sixth chords are minor chords with an added note. The added note is the sixth note of the matching major scale.

To build a minor sixth chord, we’ll start by building a minor chord. We can build a minor chord by taking the matching major chord and lowering the middle note 1/2 step.

Then to convert the minor chord into a minor sixth chord, we’ll add the sixth note of the matching major scale.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

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How to Play an A Flat Minor 6 Chord on the Piano

So to play an A flat minor 6 chord, we’ll start by building an A flat minor chord. We can build an A flat minor chord by taking an A flat major chord (A♭ – C – E♭) and lowering the middle note 1/2 step: A♭ – C♭ – E♭

Then to convert the minor chord into a minor sixth chord, we’ll add the sixth note of the A flat major scale: F

So to play an A flat minor 6 chord, we’ll play:

A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – F

We can use this pattern to build any other minor sixth chord. We’ll first build a minor chord by taking the matching major chord and lowering the middle note 1/2 step. Then we’ll add the sixth note of the matching major scale to the chord.

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types you can learn are:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to play an A flat minor 6 chord on the piano, and you can use this knowledge to build any other minor sixth chord!

Chords are a wonderful way to learn the piano quickly and to play creatively!