Piano chord

E Minor 6th Chord

Em6 is a minor 6th chord built on E. It contains the notes E – G – B – C♯.

Em6

Also written: Emin6, E-6

E

G

B

C♯

Notes in Em6

Count up from E using the intervals below. The formula shows each note relative to the E major scale.

Notes	Intervals	Formula	Semitones
E	Root	1	0
G	Minor 3rd	♭3	3
B	Perfect 5th	5	7
C♯	Major 6th	6	9

Right hand: fingers 1–2–3–5 (thumb on E).
Left hand: fingers 5–3–2–1, or play just the root in the left hand and the other notes in the right.
Inversions keep your hand closer to the previous chord — see below.

An inversion puts a different note of Em6 at the bottom. The notes stay the same, the colour and voice leading change.

The minor 6th combines sadness with a bitter twist of sweetness — complex, Latin-tinged, and emotionally rich.

Sound: Bittersweet & complex

Em6 is built only from notes of these keys. The Roman numeral shows its role in each key.

Hear Em6 with different sounds and compare it with other chords in the interactive builder.

If chords sound sour even when you play the right notes, the piano is probably out of tune. Our technicians tune pianos across Israel.