Bm B minor chord
- Notes
- B D F#
- Formula
- 1 b3 5
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 above the root
- Other symbols
- Bmin, B−
B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F# is a major third (4 semitones). It differs from B major by one note: the third, D, is a half step lower than in B major.
Bm on the piano
Root position from B4: B4, D5, F#5. Middle C is C4.
Bm 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 4 4 3 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 B3 D4 F#4
7 9 9 7 7 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 B3 D4 F#4 B4
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.
Bm 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.
4222 (G C E A)
Sounds B4 D4 F#4 B4
Lowest note D4, so the chord finder reads it as Bm/D (first inversion).
7675 (G C E A)
Sounds D5 F#4 B4 D5
Lowest note F#4, so the chord finder reads it as Bm/F# (second inversion).
Inversions of Bm
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# | Bm | |
| 1st inversion | D F# B | Bm/D | |
| 2nd inversion | F# B D | Bm/F# |
Where Bm fits
Bm is ii in A major, iii in G major, vi in D major, i in B minor, iv in F# minor, v in E minor.