The F#m6 ukulele chord contains F#, A, C#, D#. Its first ukulele voicing is a barre chord at fret 2: G string at fret 2 (index finger); C string at fret 3 (middle finger); E string at fret 2 (index finger); A string open. As a minor 6th chord it has a distinct job in a progression, and this page explains that job alongside the fingerings, the notes and the practice steps that make it stick.
What notes are in the F#m6 chord?
The F#m6 chord is a minor 6th chord, and its notes are fixed: F#, A, C#, D#. 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 F#, so you can see the structure of F#m6 at a glance. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F#, A, C#, D# in F#m6.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| F# | Root |
| A | b3 |
| C# | 5 |
| D# | 6 |
The root is F#, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in F#m6 are b3, 5, 6. Learn those intervals rather than memorising the shape alone, because the same interval pattern transposed to another root gives you the same quality of chord anywhere. On the ukulele, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
F#m6 sounds moody and sophisticated, with the added 6th ({sixth}) giving the minor triad a bittersweet lift. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F#, A, C#, D# in F#m6.
Comparing F#m6 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, minor 6th against minor 7th: F#m6 adds the 6th D#; the minor 7th adds the flattened 7th E instead. The 6th sounds more elegant and more tense. Practise the two chords back to back and listen to the one note that changes — that single note is the difference between the two chords. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F#, A, C#, D# in F#m6.
How to play F#m6 on ukulele
On the ukulele, F#m6 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — F#, A, C#, D# — in a different place on the neck. Start with the first voicing and get it clean before you try the movable shapes further up the neck. 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.
Another way to play F#m6 is the barre chord, in around fret 1: G string at fret 2 (index finger); C string at fret 3 (middle finger); E string at fret 2 (index finger); A string open. It barres across strings 1 to 3 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 3 evenly at fret 2, 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 F#m6 — F#, A, C#, D# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
For the barre chord, F#m6 sits in around fret 2: G string at fret 2 (index finger); C string at fret 3 (middle finger); E string at fret 2 (index finger); A string at fret 4 (ring finger). It barres across strings 1 to 3 at fret 2 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 3 evenly at fret 2, 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 F#m6 — F#, A, C#, D# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The open position puts F#m6 in around fret 1: G string muted; C string at fret 3 (middle finger); E string at fret 2 (index finger); A string open. The challenge here is the muted string: 1 string is marked x, and it needs to stay silent. Let the edge of a fretting finger rest lightly on it — muting by touch, not by pressing. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in F#m6 — F#, A, C#, D# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of F#m6 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 F#m6 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of F#m6 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into F#m6 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in F#m6.
A short practice routine for F#m6 on the ukulele: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above F# 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 Ukulele Chord Finder to see the diagram for F#m6 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 F#m6 sound wrong on the ukulele, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Clashing the 6th with the 5th. D# sits a whole step above the 5th C#, so low voicings can sound muddy. Keep the 6th in a higher octave than the 5th. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F#, A, C#, D# in F#m6.
Using it as a passing chord only. F#m6 works as a tonic too. Try ending a minor phrase on it and listen to how it colours the resolution. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in F#m6.
Pressing too hard on the nylon strings. Ukulele strings need far less pressure than guitar strings, and pressing hard on F#m6 pulls the notes sharp and tires the hand. Use the lightest touch that gives a clean note, and keep your fingers close to the frets. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F#, A, C#, D# in F#m6.
Playing the wrong 6th. The added note is D#, a major 6th above the root. Play the flattened 6th and you have a different, much darker sound. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F#, A, C#, D# in F#m6.
Where F#m6 is used
F#m6 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 E 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 B major, the key a perfect fourth above F#, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where F#m6 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F#, A, C#, D# in F#m6.
Because F#m6 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 F# 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 F#m6 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in F#m6.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in F#m6 on guitar, F#m6 on piano, F#m6 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the F# major scale and the F# minor pentatonic scale. Learning F#m6 on the ukulele and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — F#, A, C#, D# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising F#m6
A short worked example makes F#m6 concrete. Play the four-chord progression B – F# – G#m – E in B major, the key F#m6 most often resolves toward: B – F# – G#m – E. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how F#m6 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 F#m6 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in F#m6.
For a second exercise, play F#m6 and then the chord a fourth above F#, 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 F#m6 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing F#m6 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: F#, A, C#, D#. 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 ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes F#, A, C#, D# in F#m6.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play F#m6 on the ukulele?
The first voicing is the barre chord: frets 2–3–2–0, fingers 1–2–1–0, on the ukulele. That voicing uses the notes F#, A, C#, D#, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for F#m6, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is F#m6 hard to play on the ukulele?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of F#m6 on the ukulele 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 F#m6 on the ukulele?
The barre chord is the easiest voicing listed for F#m6 on the ukulele: frets 2–3–2–0, fingers 1–2–1–0. 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 F#m6?
F#m6 contains F#, A, C#, D#: the root F#, the minor 3rd A, the perfect 5th C# and the added 6th D#. The 6th is the note that gives it its elegant, noir colour. On the ukulele, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
Is F#m6 major or minor?
Minor. Its 3rd is A, a minor 3rd above F#. The added 6th D# does not change that — it only adds colour to the minor triad. On the ukulele, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.