Bm69

Bm69 is B, D, F#, G# and C#, a minor six-nine. The shape this page opens on is written x20122, lowest string first.

Also written Bm6/9, Bmin6/9 or B-6/9. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Bm69 on the guitar, and 43 derived voicings in 5 families.

In which keys. Every note of Bm69 belongs to F# minor (the iv) and A major (the ii).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x20122, 7566xx, x56677, 7x6779, 7x9799, xx9799, x99799, 10-9-9-11-9-9, x-14-12-13-14-x.

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. Bm69 has x2012x, 7566xx, xx9799, x-14-12-13-14-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bm69 has x2012x, xx0424, 4404xx, 7566xx, xx9799, x-14-12-13-14-x, x4643x, xx6637.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bm69 has 4x042x, x4x434, 7x663x, x5x697, 9x979x, x-14-x-13-14-10, 10-x-11-13-12-x, x-11-x-7-12-9.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Bm69 has xx0122, x5667x, x-x-11-11-9-10, x-x-12-13-14-14, x4413x, x4x132, xx4634, x5x674.

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. Bm69 has 756600, x56670, x46430, 4x0600, xx0604.

Tensions. A shell of Bm69, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (E).

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