Cm6 chord on piano
Cm6 is C, E♭, G and A. C is the white key just left of the pair of black keys. Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · C–E♭–G–A · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- C · E♭ · G · A
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6
How to play Cm6 on piano
Start on C, count 3 half steps up to E♭, 4 half steps up to G then 2 half steps up to A. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on C, 2 on E♭, 3 on G and 5 on A.
- Left hand: 5 on C, 3 on E♭, 2 on G and 1 on A.
- On the keyboard it's white, black, white and white keys, the same pattern as Fm6 and Gm6, so your hand shape carries over.
Cm6 inversions
- root position: C–E♭–G–A. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: E♭–G–A–C, E♭ lowest. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: G–A–C–E♭ (G in the bass). Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: A–C–E♭–G, with A at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
Inversions keep the same notes and change which one is lowest. Moving between chords, pick the inversion that keeps your hand closest to where it already is.
Cm6 chord changes
These are the changes you'll meet most often with Cm6, using the first shape of each chord.
- F (V in B♭ major): Cm6 to F: play F in 2nd inversion (C–F–A) and C and A stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves up to F. F on piano
- E♭ (IV in B♭ major): Cm6 to E♭: play E♭ in root position (E♭–G–B♭) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while A moves up to B♭. E♭ on piano
- B♭ (I in B♭ major): Cm6 to B♭: play B♭ in 1st inversion (D–F–B♭), while E♭ moves down to D, E♭ up to F and A up to B♭. B♭ on piano
Cm6 is C minor with a major sixth added. Cm6 sounds moody and cinematic and often replaces Cm as the home chord of a minor jazz tune. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Practice Cm6 in two minutes
Start with a broken chord, C E♭ G A G E♭ C, then play it solid. Next, walk up through C–E♭–G–A → E♭–G–A–C → G–A–C–E♭ → A–C–E♭–G without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of Cm6
Cm6 is a minor sixth chord, 1–♭3–5–6 from C. Root position, from the bottom: how Cm6 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| E♭ | black key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| G | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| A | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | major sixth |
Where Cm6 shows up
Cm6 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: Cm6 on guitar and Cm6 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Related C chords on piano
Other minor sixth chords
Cm6 on piano: questions
What notes are in Cm6 on piano?
C, E♭, G and A: C (white key), E♭ (black key), G (white key) and A (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play Cm6 on piano?
Press C, E♭, G and A together (1 black, 3 white). Right hand: 1 on C, 2 on E♭, 3 on G and 5 on A.
What are the inversions of Cm6?
1st inversion (E♭–G–A–C), 2nd inversion (G–A–C–E♭) and 3rd inversion (A–C–E♭–G), after root position (C–E♭–G–A). Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
What does Cm6 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, white and white keys, the same pattern as Fm6 and Gm6, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes C, E♭, G and A and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.