D Minor major seventh flat sixth

The minor major seventh flat sixth chord combines mM7 with a lowered sixth degree in chord-symbol terms—often notated as ♭13 against the root while keeping the major seventh (1-♭3-5-7-♭13). The result is intensely colored: the major seventh pulls upward while the ♭6/♭13 pulls downward, creating a stacked contradiction that sounds cinematic and modern. It is not a basic diatonic triad; treat it as a composed color borrowed from melodic-minor thinking and contemporary jazz harmony.

Construction

Start from 1-♭3-5-7 and add ♭13 (enharmonically ♭6). Spellings should be chosen for readability in the key.

Usage

Short dramatic hits, film scoring, and jazz reharmonizations where tonic minor needs both shimmer and shadow.

Examples

• Modern jazz voicings on tonic minor with altered upper extensions
• Film cues for bittersweet tension on a minor center
• Neo-soul progressions that avoid plain m7 colors

Play

Separate ♭13 and 7 across registers; omit the fifth if the cluster becomes opaque.

Ear-training cues

Hear mM7 with a lowered sixth/♭13 presence—bright top, shadow in the middle.