B minor chord (Bm)

B minor is a 3-note minor chord: B – D – F♯. It sounds stable but darker, melancholic or intimate. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio.

NotesB – D – F♯
Formula1 – ♭3 – 5
SymbolBm · Bmin · B-
TypeMinor chord

B minor on guitar

Barre at fret 2 (A shape)
Barre at fret 7 (E shape)

How to place your fingers (barre at fret 2)

Barre fret 2 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string.
Finger 3 (ring) on fret 4 of the 4th string (D).
Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 4 of the 3rd string (G).
Finger 2 (middle) on fret 3 of the 2nd string (B).
Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

The numbers inside the dots are the fingers of your left hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky. The colored dots mark the root (B). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

B minor on piano

In root position, play B – D – F♯ from bottom to top with fingers 1, 3 and 5 of your right hand (thumb, middle and pinky). With your left hand you usually play just the root (B) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

First inversion: D – F♯ – B
Second inversion: F♯ – B – D

B minor on ukulele

From fret 2
From fret 4

Standard tuning G – C – E – A (the G string is the high one). Is your ukulele in tune? Use the ukulele tuner.

Notes and intervals of B minor

B1 · root
D♭3 · minor third
F♯5 · perfect fifth

It shows up in ballads, boleros, pasillos and almost all popular music; in a major key it's usually the relative chord or the second degree.

Progressions with Bm

Minor with a dominant: i – iv – V7 – i

The V7 comes from the harmonic minor scale and is typical of boleros, pasillos and ballads.

Modern minor: i – VI – III – VII

A very common progression in pop and rock, in B natural minor.

Which keys contain B minor?

Bm belongs to 6 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
D major	vi
G major	iii
A major	ii
E natural minor	v
F♯ natural minor	iv
B natural minor	i

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the B minor chord?

B minor (Bm) has 3 notes: B (root), D (minor third), F♯ (perfect fifth).

How do you play B minor on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 2: x 2 4 4 3 2 (from the 6th to the 1st string). Barre fret 2 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string. Place finger 3 (ring finger) on fret 4 of the 4th string (D). Place finger 4 (pinky) on fret 4 of the 3rd string (G). Place finger 2 (middle finger) on fret 3 of the 2nd string (B). Don't play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

What's the difference between B minor and B major?

Only the third changes: B minor uses D and B major uses D♯. That note is what makes the chord sound darker (minor) or brighter (major).

How do you write B minor in chord notation?

It is written Bm; you may also see Bmin or B-. Letter notation uses C, D, E, F, G, A and B for the notes.

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