B minor
How to play Bm — Minor
Bm (Minor)B · D · F♯
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
B minor — notes and structure
The Bm chord has a darker, sadder sound than its major counterpart, thanks to the lowered third.
The Bm minor consists of the notes B, D, F♯. Its interval structure is R–3–5 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
Bm stacks a minor third (D) and a perfect fifth (F♯) above the root B.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Bm — an open-position shape reaching up to the 9th fret. They use a barre.
What key is Bm in?
Every note of Bm belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- G major — the iii chord
- D major — the vi chord
- A major — the ii chord
- E minor — the v chord
Chords that go with Bm
In G major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Bm next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the B minor chord?
- The Bm chord contains the notes B, D, F♯. It has a darker, sadder sound than its major counterpart, thanks to the lowered third.
- How many ways can you play Bm on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Bm a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
- What key does Bm belong to?
- Bm fits G major (where it is the iii chord), D major (where it is the vi chord), A major (where it is the ii chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.