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The B minor 6 chord (Bm6) on guitar

Bm6 is B minor with one note added: G#, the major sixth. That note gives the chord its bittersweet, slightly jazzy color, the sound of a minor chord that is not quite sad. It is also the note most diagrams get wrong. A shape with an open G string plays G natural, and that is not Bm6. Get the G# right and everything else on this page follows.

Bm6 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: B minor sixth
  • Symbol: Bm6
  • Notes: B, D, F#, G#

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
Bm6, open D x20132 B D G# D F# The easiest complete Bm6: the open D string adds the minor third, and the G string at fret 1 gives the G#.
Bm6, D muted x2x132 B G# D F# Same shape with the D string damped by the second finger. Thinner and cleaner, good for jazz comping.
Bm6, top four strings xx6777 G# D F# B A compact four note voicing with G# in the bass. Bright, no open strings, movable.
Bm6, barre shape x24434 B F# B D G# Your Bm barre with the fourth finger reaching to fret 4 on the high E for G#.
Bm6, sixth string root 7x677x B G# D F# B in the bass on the low E, fifth string muted. The classic jazz grip for a minor six chord.
Bm6, open D x 2 0 1 3 2 · 2 · 1 4 3 fingers
Bm6, D muted x 2 x 1 3 2 · 2 · 1 4 3 fingers
Bm6, top four strings x x 6 7 7 7 · · 1 2 3 4 fingers
Bm6, barre shape x 2 4 4 3 4 · 1 3 3 2 4 fingers
Bm6, sixth string root 7 x 6 7 7 x 2 · 1 3 4 · fingers

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.

Bm6 on the neck: every B, D, F#, G#

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Bm6: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Bm6.

Fretboard notes
Swipe the fretboard sideways to see every fret.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
2 - B
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
3 - G
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
4 - D
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
5 - A
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
6 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E

The G natural trap

A shape that circulates widely as Bm6 is x2x032. Read it string by string: B on the fifth string, G on the open third string, D on the second, F# on the first. The G is a half step too low. B, D, F# and G is a B minor with a flat sixth, a darker and different chord.

The fix is one fret: press the G string at fret 1 and you get x2x132. Let the D string ring open as well and you get the fuller x20132, which is still correct, because D is the minor third of B.

When a chord sheet says Bm6 and the melody sits on G natural, the songwriter may have meant something else. Play the bar both ways and trust your ear.

Where m6 lives: the descending minor line

The minor sixth chord is often the last step of a famous line: minor, minor with major seventh, minor seventh, minor sixth. Only one note moves, sliding down a half step at a time from B to A# to A to G#, while the rest of the chord stays still. In B minor you can play the whole thing in place, with the G string doing all the work:

Chord Shape Moving note (G string)
Bm x24432 B (fret 4)
Bm(maj7) x24332 A# (fret 3)
Bm7 x24232 A (fret 2)
Bm6 x24132 G# (fret 1)

The last shape is a stretch. If it is too much, put a capo on fret 2 and play the same line with open A minor shapes: x02210, x02110, x02010, x02212. With the capo, those sound as Bm, Bm(maj7), Bm7 and Bm6. The capo chart explains why.

Bm6 as a resting chord in B minor

In a minor key, the m6 chord often replaces the plain tonic at the end of a phrase. It sounds settled but not final, which is why jazz, bossa nova and old standards like it.

Change Shapes What to listen for
F#7 to Bm6 242322 to x20132 V7 to i6: the dominant resolves to a softer home chord.
C#m7b5, F#7, Bm6 9x998x, 242322, x20132 The minor ii V i, ending on m6 instead of m7.
Bm to Bm6 x24432 to x24434 Add the fourth finger on the high E: the color changes, not the chord.

For the same color on other roots, see Cm6, Dm6 and Em6.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Bm6 on guitar?
The easiest complete version is x20132: second finger on the fifth string at fret 2, the D string open, first finger on the G string at fret 1, fourth finger on the B string at fret 3, third finger on the high E at fret 2. Do not play the low E.
What notes are in a B minor 6 chord?
B, D, F# and G#: a B minor triad plus the major sixth, G#. Formula 1, b3, 5, 6.
Is x2x032 a Bm6?
No. The open G string plays G natural, and Bm6 needs G#. Fret the G string at fret 1 instead: x2x132. That half step is the whole chord.
What is the difference between Bm6 and Bm7?
Bm6 adds G#, the major sixth; Bm7 adds A, the minor seventh. On the neck it is one fret on the G string: x24132 is Bm6, x24232 is Bm7.
Why does Bm6 have the same notes as G#m7b5?
Because they share all four notes: G#, B, D and F#. With B in the bass and a B minor key around it, you hear Bm6. With G# in the bass, leading to a dominant, you hear G#m7b5. That is why the top four string shape, with G# at the bottom, can be read either way.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

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.