ArpeggiosEN

Arpeggio

E m6

Minor

Formula
1 ♭3 5 6
Notes
E G B C♯

Notation

441♭356

Fretboard — frets 0–24

E m6 — frets 0 to 24, 52 notes, roots in orange1♭3561♭3561561♭3561♭35♭3561♭3561♭31♭3561♭356561♭3561♭31♭3561♭35610123456789101112131415161718192021222324
E m6 — frets 0 to 24, 52 notes, roots in orange1♭3561♭3561561♭3561♭35♭3561♭3561♭31♭3561♭356561♭3561♭31♭3561♭35610123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Degrees

DegreeNoteIntervalSemitonesRole
1Eperfect unison0The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves.
♭3Gminor third3The minor third — the dark counterpart of the major third; it turns a shape minor and colours m, m7 and the minor scales.
5Bperfect fifth7The perfect fifth — the root's strongest companion; it anchors every triad and stacked-seventh quality.
6C♯major sixth9The major sixth — the hopeful note that separates dorian and m6 from their darker cousins; it sits a whole step above the fifth.

About this arpeggio

The minor sixth chord adds a major sixth to the minor triad, and that raised note changes everything: the chord stops sounding purely sad and starts sounding intrigued. This is the signature of the dorian colour, the sound of 1930s minor swing, and the standard tonic minor in many jazz standards. Because the sixth is major while the third is minor, the chord contains a tritone between them — a quiet tension that keeps the harmony moving without the pull of a dominant seventh. It is often interchangeable with m7♭5 in progressions, though its function is completely different. Listen for the sixth brightening the minor third.

How to practise this arpeggio

  • Hold the major sixth and hear it lift the minor triad.
  • Compare it with m7: the sixth keeps the dorian brightness that the seventh relaxes.
  • Use it as a tonic minor ending and let the sixth ring unresolved.
  • Play the tritone between the minor third and the major sixth slowly.