Bbm Bb minor chord
- Notes
- Bb Db F
- Formula
- 1 b3 5
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 above the root
- Also written
- A#m (A# C# E#)
- Other symbols
- Bbmin, Bb−
Bb to Db is a minor third (3 semitones), Db to F is a major third (4 semitones). It differs from Bb major by one note: the third, Db, is a half step lower than in Bb major.
Bbm on the piano
Root position from Bb4: Bb4, Db5, F5. Middle C is C4.
Bbm 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 Bb as its lowest note.
x 1 3 3 2 1 (low E to high e)
Sounds Bb2 F3 Bb3 Db4 F4
6 8 8 6 6 6 (low E to high e)
Sounds Bb2 F3 Bb3 Db4 F4 Bb4
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 minor chords on other roots.
Bbm 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.
3111 (G C E A)
Sounds Bb4 Db4 F4 Bb4
Lowest note Db4, so the chord finder reads it as Bbm/Db (first inversion).
6564 (G C E A)
Sounds Db5 F4 Bb4 Db5
Lowest note F4, so the chord finder reads it as Bbm/F (second inversion).
Inversions of Bbm
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 | Bb Db F | Bbm | |
| 1st inversion | Db F Bb | Bbm/Db | |
| 2nd inversion | F Bb Db | Bbm/F |
Where Bbm fits
Bbm is ii in Ab major, iii in Gb major, vi in Db major, i in Bb minor, iv in F minor, v in Eb minor.