To play Bm6 on the mandolin, you need the notes B, D, F#, G#. Its first mandolin voicing is the movable voicing: G string at fret 4 (middle finger); D string open; A string at fret 2 (index finger); E string at fret 4 (ring finger). This guide covers the minor 6th chord in full: what is in it, how to play it cleanly on the mandolin, where it fits musically and how to practise it.
What notes are in the Bm6 chord?
The Bm6 chord is a minor 6th chord, and its notes are fixed: B, D, F#, G#. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root B, so you can see the structure of Bm6 at a glance. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Bm6.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| B | Root |
| D | b3 |
| F# | 5 |
| G# | 6 |
The root is B, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Bm6 are b3, 5, 6. Once you know the intervals, you can build Bm6 from any root by counting the same semitone steps, which is how the chord works in every key. On the mandolin, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Bm6 sounds moody and sophisticated, with the added 6th ({sixth}) giving the minor triad a bittersweet lift. The colour is strongest when all the notes ring clearly. A muted chord tone, especially the 3rd or the 7th where the chord has one, flattens the character of Bm6 noticeably. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D, F#, G# in Bm6.
Comparing Bm6 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, minor 6th against minor 7th: Bm6 adds the 6th G#; the minor 7th adds the flattened 7th A instead. The 6th sounds more elegant and more tense. Play both chords slowly, one after the other, and notice which note moves. Naming that note out loud while you play is the fastest way to learn the difference. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Bm6.
How to play Bm6 on mandolin
On the mandolin, Bm6 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — B, D, F#, G# — in a different place on the neck. There are 3 voicings listed for Bm6 on the mandolin; learn the first, then add the others as you need them. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
The movable voicing puts Bm6 in around fret 2: G string at fret 4 (middle finger); D string open; A string at fret 2 (index finger); E string at fret 4 (ring finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 2 to fret 4, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Bm6 — B, D, F#, G# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play Bm6 is the barre chord, in around fret 4: G string at fret 4 (index finger); D string at fret 4 (index finger); A string at fret 5 (middle finger); E string at fret 4 (index finger). It barres across strings 1 to 4 at fret 4 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 4 evenly at fret 4, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Bm6 — B, D, F#, G# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The open position puts Bm6 in open position: G string at fret 1 (index finger); D string open; A string at fret 2 (middle finger); E string at fret 2 (middle finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 1 to fret 2, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Bm6 — B, D, F#, G# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Bm6 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide Bm6 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Bm6 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Bm6 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D, F#, G# in Bm6.
A short practice routine for Bm6 on the mandolin: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above B and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Mandolin Chord Finder to see the diagram for Bm6 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Bm6 sound wrong on the mandolin, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Playing the wrong 6th. The added note is G#, a major 6th above the root. Play the flattened 6th and you have a different, much darker sound. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Bm6.
Forgetting the minor 3rd. The 3rd must stay minor (D). If it comes out as D# the chord becomes a major 6th, a completely different colour. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Bm6.
Clashing the 6th with the 5th. G# sits a whole step above the 5th F#, so low voicings can sound muddy. Keep the 6th in a higher octave than the 5th. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D, F#, G# in Bm6.
Using it as a passing chord only. Bm6 works as a tonic too. Try ending a minor phrase on it and listen to how it colours the resolution. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D, F#, G# in Bm6.
Where Bm6 is used
Bm6 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of D major, the key of G major, the key of A major. the i chord in minor keys, and the iv chord in major keys, adding colour to minor progressions. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward E major, the key a perfect fourth above B, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Bm6 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the mandolin, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes B, D, F#, G# in Bm6.
Because Bm6 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain B triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try Bm6 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the mandolin, the movable voicing of Bm6 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Bm6 on guitar, Bm6 on piano, Bm6 on ukulele, and the scales that fit over it are the B major scale and the B minor pentatonic scale. Learning Bm6 on the mandolin and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — B, D, F#, G# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Bm6
A short worked example makes Bm6 concrete. Play the four-chord progression E – B – C#m – A in E major, the key Bm6 most often resolves toward: E – B – C#m – A. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Bm6 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on Bm6 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Bm6.
For a second exercise, play Bm6 and then the chord a fourth above B, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move Bm6 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Bm6 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: B, D, F#, G#. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the mandolin, the movable voicing voicing is the place to hear it in Bm6.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Bm6 on the mandolin?
The first voicing is the movable voicing: frets 4–0–2–4, fingers 2–0–1–3, on the mandolin. That voicing uses the notes B, D, F#, G#, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Bm6, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Bm6 hard to play on the mandolin?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Bm6 on the mandolin is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of Bm6 on the mandolin?
The movable voicing is the easiest voicing listed for Bm6 on the mandolin: frets 4–0–2–4, fingers 2–0–1–3. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.
What notes are in Bm6?
Bm6 contains B, D, F#, G#: the root B, the minor 3rd D, the perfect 5th F# and the added 6th G#. The 6th is the note that gives it its elegant, noir colour. On the mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.
Is Bm6 major or minor?
Minor. Its 3rd is D, a minor 3rd above B. The added 6th G# does not change that — it only adds colour to the minor triad. On the mandolin, check the first voicing above for that note.