Bdim B diminished chord
- Notes
- B D F
- Formula
- 1 b3 b5
- Semitones
- 0 3 6 above the root
- Other symbols
- B°, Bm(b5)
B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F is a minor third (3 semitones). Two minor thirds stacked, so B to F is a tritone (6 semitones) instead of a perfect fifth. The four-note Bdim7 and Bm7b5 grow from it by adding a note on top.
Bdim on the piano
Root position from B4: B4, D5, F5. Middle C is C4.
Bdim on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has B as its lowest note.
x 2 3 4 3 x (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F3 B3 D4
7 8 9 7 x x (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F3 B3 D4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play diminished chords on other roots.
Bdim on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
4212 (G C E A)
Sounds B4 D4 F4 B4
Lowest note D4, so the chord finder reads it as Bdim/D (first inversion).
7575 (G C E A)
Sounds D5 F4 B4 D5
Lowest note F4, so the chord finder reads it as Bdim/F (second inversion).
Inversions of Bdim
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | B D F | Bdim | |
| 1st inversion | D F B | Bdim/D | |
| 2nd inversion | F B D | Bdim/F |
Where Bdim fits
Bdim is vii° in C major, ii° in A minor, vii° in C minor. Its root B is the leading tone of C: a half step below the tonic, so the chord usually moves up to it.