Amin6

Construction

Built from these intervals: 1-b3-5-6.

The b3 creates the minor quality. The 5 grounds the triad. The 6 -- nine half steps above the root -- adds unexpected warmth to the dark minor foundation. Min6 is the minor triad with an added 6. This combination specifically implies Dorian mode (a scale built by starting a major scale from the second degree), because the natural 6 is the note that separates Dorian from Aeolian (which has a b6 instead).

Harmonic Function

In Roman numeral analysis (uppercase = major, lowercase = minor):

• i6 in minor -- Dorian-flavored tonic, stable because the 6 has no pull toward resolution the way b7 does.
• ii6 in major -- supertonic with added color, smooth in jazz contexts where ii moves to V.
• iv6 in minor -- subdominant with Dorian character, brightening the typical minor iv.

Using min6 tells the listener the mode is Dorian. Min7 could belong to Aeolian, Dorian, or Phrygian -- the b7 leaves the mode ambiguous. The 6 narrows it to one.

Character

Warm melancholy. The b3 brings darkness, but the 6 softens it with light -- sophisticated sadness rather than brooding weight. This is the sound of cool jazz minor keys that feel settled rather than restless. Compare to min7: the only difference is 6 versus b7. The 6 creates stability and Dorian specificity; the b7 creates gentle forward motion and modal ambiguity. One interval changes the chord's entire direction.

Related Sounds

These chords share the minor triad -- each adds a different upper tone:

• min7 (1-b3-5-b7) -- b7 instead of 6, more common and less modally specific
• min (1-b3-5) -- the parent triad without the 6th's warmth
• min6/9 (1-b3-5-6-9) -- adds the 9 for more color, very smooth
• min(maj7) (1-b3-5-7) -- 7 instead of 6, dramatic tension rather than warmth
• Implies Dorian mode -- min6 is Dorian voiced as a four-note chord, the 6 being Dorian's defining interval

Voice Leading

Voice leading tracks how individual notes move from one chord to the next. The 6 in a minor context creates distinctive half-step connections, particularly when it takes on a new role in the target chord.

• i6 to iv7: The 6 moves down a half step to the b3 of iv7. The root and b3 are common tones. That chromatic descent is why the progression flows.
• i6 to V7: The 6 can stay as the 9 of V (a common tone in a V9 voicing) or move up a whole step to the 3 of V7. The 6 offers melodic options toward the dominant.
• ii6 to V7: The 6 of ii stays as the 3 of V7 -- a common tone. The 6 transforms directly into a chord tone of the dominant, making this ii-V connection seamless.

These movements apply in any key -- the intervals are the same regardless of root.

Practice Seeds

Compare to min7. Play min6, then min7 on the same root. The 6 feels warmer and more stable; the b7 feels darker with more forward pull. Both work over minor, with different colors -- this comparison defines what the 6-versus-b7 choice means.

Dorian connection. Play min6, then the Dorian scale from the same root. Every chord tone lives in the scale, and the 6 is the note that makes Dorian sound different from Aeolian (which has b6 instead). This links the chord to its parent mode.

Cool jazz tonic. Use min6 as the tonic chord in a minor blues or jazz tune. The 6 gives it that settled, sophisticated feel -- never heavy, always composed.

Modal color choice. In a minor key, play a phrase with min6 (Dorian, natural 6), then the same phrase with min7b5 or a chord implying b6 (Aeolian). Hear how the 6 versus b6 choice defines the minor color -- this is one of the most important decisions in minor harmony.