Banjo · minor

Bm Chord on Banjo

B Minor is B, D, F# — the 1-b3-5 pattern of a minor chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.

There is no open Bm on banjo. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated advanced.

Start here — Standard Bm

Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.

Press play to hear Bm the way this shape actually sounds.

What beginners get wrong

Moving in and out of it

The shape above: Standard Bm.

Where you will meet it: B Minor (i), E Minor (v), F# Minor (iv), D Major (vi), A Major (ii).

Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.

Songs that turn on this chord

Wish You Were HerePink Floydverse
Hotel CaliforniaEaglesverse — opening
What A Beautiful NameHillsong Worshipverse — the vi chord
Hotel CaliforniaEaglesverse — opening chord
Tennessee WhiskeyChris Stapletonverse — the ii chord

Bm on other instruments

Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.

Guitar

Bm on guitar

3 voicings · easiest is beginner

Piano

Bm on piano

5 voicings · easiest is beginner

Ukulele

Bm on ukulele

3 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Bass

Bm on bass

4 voicings · easiest is beginner

Mandolin

Bm on mandolin

3 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Or see B Minor on every instrument at once.

Chords next door

Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on banjo.

B Major

Bdim

B Diminished

Baug

B Augmented

Bsus2

B Suspended 2nd

Bsus4

B Suspended 4th

B Power Chord

Bm on Banjo — questions people ask

What is the easiest way to play Bm on banjo?

“Standard Bm” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest Bm shape on banjo. Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones. There is no open Bm on banjo, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.

What notes are in the B Minor chord?

B Minor is B, D, F# — the 1-b3-5 interval pattern of a minor chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.

What can I play instead of Bm?

The nearest stand-ins on banjo that keep the same root are B5, Bsus4, Bsus2. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.

Can I play Bm on other instruments?

Yes. Bm is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin.

Learn the theory behind Bm

The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.

Major and Minor Scales — Built from Intervals, Felt in Songs

The flat third is the whole difference between this chord and its major twin.

5 min read

Key Signatures: Read Any Key in Two Seconds

Which keys this chord belongs to, and how to read the sharps and flats.

6 min read

Chord Progressions Explained

Minor chords rarely travel alone. Here is the company they keep.

7 min read