Chord · B Minor
Bm Chord
Bm is B, D and F# — dark, melancholic.
Bm on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Bm is made of
Bm (B minor) is built from the notes B, D, F#, with the interval pattern 1, b3, 5.
Stack 1, b3 and 5 on a root of B and you get B, D and F#. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cm sounds like a transposed Bm.
Minor: Dark, melancholic.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with F♯ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Bm
All 3 notes sit inside the scale of 6 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Other chords on B
Same root, different colour.
The same minor shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Bm
- What notes are in the Bm chord?
- Bm is made of B, D and F# — the 1, b3 and 5 degrees of a minor chord built on B.
- What keys use the Bm chord?
- Every note of Bm belongs to 6 keys: G Major (iii), D Major (vi), A Major (ii), E Minor (v), B Minor (i), F# Minor (iv). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Bm on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Bm on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 19 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Bm behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.