Chord · Piano
B Minor 6 Chord · Piano
Interactive keyboard
Highlighted notes form this chord.
Notes
B · D · F♯ · G♯
Root: B
Intervals
1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6
How it is built
This chord starts on B and applies the intervals 1, ♭3, 5, 6. The result contains 4 distinct pitch classes per octave.
Explore related combinations
Guide and musical context
About B Minor 6 Piano Chord
B Minor 6 Piano chord contains B, D, F♯, G♯. Its sound is melancholic yet smooth, with a more sophisticated color than a plain minor triad.
Character and sound
Melancholic yet smooth, with a more sophisticated color than a plain minor triad.
Musical context and history
The minor-sixth chord combines a minor triad with a major sixth. It is a familiar color in jazz, popular song, bossa nova and chromatic voice-leading.
How and where it is used
It can act as a colored minor tonic or as a voice-leading device in chromatic progressions.
On piano, the notes can be distributed between both hands and across different octaves. The interactive keyboard makes it easy to verify pitches and experiment with inversions or registers without changing the harmony. Everything you see and hear on this page comes from the same note set shown above.
Harmonic and musical relationships
The B minor harmony can be compared with its parallel major, which keeps the same root, and its relative major at D. The dominant a fifth above, F♯, is another important reference.
The formula on this page is 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6 and, from B, produces the notes B · D · F♯ · G♯.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the B Minor 6 Piano chord?
The notes are B, D, F♯, G♯.
What is its interval formula?
The formula is 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 6.
How does it sound and what is it used for?
Melancholic yet smooth, with a more sophisticated color than a plain minor triad. It can act as a colored minor tonic or as a voice-leading device in chromatic progressions.
How can I check it on Piano?
Use the interactive diagram on this page and press Play or Note by note. The highlighted positions, written notes and playback all use the same pitch collection.