Am6 is an A minor chord with one note added: F#, the major sixth. Its notes are A, C, E and F#. That single note turns a plain minor chord into something more elegant and a little uneasy, the signature sound of gypsy jazz. You can play it in a second if you already know A minor.
Am6 chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: A minor sixth
- Symbol: Am6
- Notes: A, C, E, F#
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am6, open | x02212 | A E A C F# | Open A minor with the fourth finger added on the high E at fret 2. The easiest way to hear the sixth. |
| Am6, four strings | 5x455x | A F# C E | The gypsy jazz shape: root in the bass, four notes, two muted strings. Short, dry and easy to choke between beats. |
| Am6, barre at the fifth fret | 577575 | A E A C F# A | The E minor barre shape at fret 5 with the B string raised to fret 7. All six strings. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
Am6 on the neck: every A, C, E, F#
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Am6: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Am6.
From Am to Am6 in one finger
Play an open A minor, x02210: second finger on the D string at fret 2, third finger on the G string at fret 2, first finger on the B string at fret 1. Now add the fourth finger on the high E at fret 2. That is Am6, x02212.
Strum Am, then Am6, back and forth. The only note that changes is the top one, E to F#, and that is the sound of the sixth. Check that the fourth finger does not lean on the B string: the C at fret 1 is the minor third, and without it the chord loses its minor color.
The gypsy jazz shape: 5x455x
In gypsy jazz, minor chords are played as minor sixths almost by default. Django Reinhardt's Minor Swing runs on Am6, Dm6 and E7, strummed in the short, percussive style called la pompe. The shape that does the job is compact:
- Second finger on the low E at fret 5 (A).
- First finger on the D string at fret 4 (F#).
- Third finger on the G string at fret 5 (C).
- Fourth finger on the B string at fret 5 (E).
The A string and the high E stay muted: the second finger leans on the A string, the fourth finger's pad touches the high E. Four notes, nothing ringing loose, so you can strike the chord on beats two and four and choke it instantly by easing the pressure. Practice it on the swing metronome at a slow tempo before you chase Django's speed.
Progressions to practice
| Progression | Shapes | What you hear |
|---|---|---|
| Am, Am6 | x02210, x02212 | One note on top moving E to F# and back |
| E7, Am6 | 020100, x02212 | The V7 resolving to a minor sixth: the gypsy jazz cadence |
| Am6, Dm6, E7 | x02212, xx0201, 020100 | The Minor Swing loop, all in open position |
A warning: if the melody leans on F natural, Am6 will clash with it. The sixth chord is a color, not a replacement for every A minor. The same sound on other roots: Em6 and Cm6.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Am6 on guitar?
What notes are in Am6?
Does Am6 have F or F#?
What is the difference between Am6 and Am7?
Are Am6 and F#m7b5 the same chord?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.