Am6

Am6 is A, C, E and F#, a minor sixth. The shape this page opens on is written x02212, lowest string first.

Also written Amin6, A-6 or A minor 6. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 10 common shapes for Am6 on the guitar, and 35 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Am6 belongs to E minor (the iv) and G major (the ii).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x02212, xx2212, x3425x, 5x4555, 577575, xx7978, x-12-10-11-10-12, x-12-14-11-13-x, x-12-14-x-13-14, x-x-14-14-13-14.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Am6 has 534xxx, x045xx, x-12-10-11-x-x, 5x45xx, x-12-x-11-13-x, 5-9-10-x-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Am6 has xx2212, 2322xx, xx4555, x7757x, xx7978, 8979xx, x-9-10-9-10-x, 12-12-10-11-x-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Am6 has 2x221x, x3x252, 5x455x, x7x575, 8x797x, x-9-x-9-10-8, 12-x-10-11-10-x, x-12-x-11-13-12.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Am6 has 5x4500, 57450x, 23220x, 070575, 000502, 200500.

Tensions. A shell of Am6, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (B) and the 11 (D).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.