Minor 6th

General info

Name

Minor 6th

Quality

Minor

Degree distance

6 degrees

Semitones

8

Short description

Eight semitones. A soft, slightly sorrowful sound.

Interval structure

Lower note

Root

Upper note

Minor sixth (b6)

Degree formula

II8 stVIbVIb

Semitone formula

8 semitones (4 whole tones)

Interval construction

Interval formula

m6

How it's built

From the root, move up by eight semitones (four whole tones, eight frets on guitar).

Brief explanation

The minor 6th is the inversion of the major 3rd. It sounds soft, with a tinge of sadness or longing. Found in minor scales and augmented chords.

How the interval sounds

Sound character

The minor 6th sounds soft, with a tinge of melancholy and tenderness. It is a "romantic" interval — wide, but with a slight sadness. A melodic leap of a minor 6th creates a sense of yearning and longing simultaneously. The sound is warm, slightly pensive, without harshness.

Consonance / dissonance

Explanation

The minor 6th is an imperfect consonance. As the inversion of the major 3rd, it retains consonant quality, but sounds more "open" and wide. The two sounds blend well, creating a pleasant, though emotionally colored combination.

Tendencies & resolutions

Behavior

The minor 6th is a consonance, the inversion of the major 3rd. It is relatively stable in a chord context. In melody, it can resolve by stepwise motion. In minor keys, the b6 degree often moves down to the 5th.

Harmonic context

Context

The minor 6th appears in augmented chords (aug, aug7) as an enharmonic equivalent of #5. In minor scales (Phrygian, Aeolian, Locrian), b6 is a characteristic degree. In harmonic minor, the minor 6th creates the characteristic "Eastern" motion b6 → VII (augmented 2nd).

Interval inversion

Interval from every note