Root position
B – D – F#The root B is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.
3 notes · 1 · ♭3 · 5
B Minor Piano Chord (Bm)
B minor is built from B, D and F# — the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above B. The shape uses 2 white and 1 black key, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.
Chord
B Minor
Notes
B · D · F#Formula
1 · ♭3 · 5Right hand
1 · 3 · 5C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).
The finder above already holds Bm. Press P or the Play chord button to hear B, D, F# sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.
Chord tones
The notes in B minor
A minor triad reverses the major arrangement: a minor third first, then a major third. Only the middle note moves, yet the chord sounds noticeably darker and more inward. Minor triads sit on the second, third and sixth degrees of a major scale, and on the first degree of a minor key.
| Note | Interval | Degree | Semitones | Right hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bwhite key | Root | 1 | 0 | 1 · thumb |
| Dwhite key | Minor third | ♭3 | 3 | 3 · middle finger |
| F#black key | Perfect fifth | 5 | 7 | 5 · little finger |
Step by step
How to play B minor on piano
- Find B: it is the white key immediately right of a group of three black keys.
- Build upwards from B using 3 and 7 semitones to reach D and F#.
- With the right hand, place finger 1 on B, finger 3 on D and finger 5 on F#. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
- Move your hand a little further in towards the fallboard so the black key sits comfortably under your fingers.
- Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how B minor settles.
- Try first inversion as well: D – F# – B. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.
Inversions
B minor in 3 positions
An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.
First inversion
D – F# – BD is the lowest note, so the minor third sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
Second inversion
F# – B – DF# is the lowest note, so the perfect fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
In context
Which keys contain B minor
In D major the chord functions as vi. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 6 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.
- D majorvi
- G majoriii
- A majorii
- E minorv
- F♯ minoriv
- B minori
Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.
Compare
B minor against B major
B minor and B major share B and F#. Moving the major third D# down 1 semitone to the minor third D turns B major into B minor.
Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes B, F# still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.
Open B major →Good questions
B minor questions
What notes are in the B minor chord?
B minor contains B, D and F#. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above B.
What is the right-hand fingering for B minor?
A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on B, 3 (middle finger) on D and 5 (little finger) on F#. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.
How is B minor different from B major?
B minor and B major share B and F#. Moving the major third D# down 1 semitone to the minor third D turns B major into B minor.
Which keys use the B minor chord?
It occurs naturally in D major (vi), G major (iii), A major (ii), E minor (v), F♯ minor (iv) and B minor (i). The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.
What are the inversions of B minor?
root position is B – D – F#, first inversion is D – F# – B and second inversion is F# – B – D. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.