About the C minor flat six chord
C minor flat six is used in A flat Major, where its notes spell the I chord. Think of it as a C minor flat six chord.
Its notes are C, E♭, G, and A♭. The intervals are a minor third, a perfect fifth, and a minor sixth.
Inversions
C minor flat six (root position)
Notes and intervals
| 1 | CC | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | EbE♭ | Minor 3rd |
| 3 | GG | Perfect 5th |
| 4 | AbA♭ | Minor 6th |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Keys that use C minor flat six
C minor flat six is diatonic to these keys, where its notes spell the chord shown.
Other C chords
Simpler triads
Suspended
Sixths and sevenths
Extensions
Altered
Functional relationships
These chords are where this one most naturally comes from and resolves to inside a key.
Relative major
The relative major uses the same notes and key signature, so it works as a brighter home base.
Parallel major
The parallel major keeps the same root note but raises the third, giving the same key a brighter, happier sound.
Dominant
The dominant is a fifth above the root, and it builds tension that pulls strongly back to this chord.
Subdominant
The subdominant is a fourth above the root (a fifth below), and it usually leads on to the dominant or back home.
Tritone substitution
The tritone substitution stands in for this chord's dominant with a dominant seventh a half step above the root, which slides down by a half step to resolve here.