Explore chords · Guitar
B♭ minor chord on guitar (B♭m)
Also called or written B♭m or B♭min
B♭ minor contains B♭, D♭, and F, built from 1, ♭3, 5. The 1st fret barre shape is a common hurdle for players moving beyond open chords.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5
- Root positionB♭–D♭–FB♭m×-1-3-3-2-1
- First inversionD♭–F–B♭B♭m/D♭×-4-3-3-2-×
- Second inversionF–B♭–D♭B♭m/F1-1-3-3-2-1
How do you play a B♭ minor chord on guitar?
B♭ minor is played at the 1st fret as × 1 3 3 2 1: barre your index finger across fret 1, ring finger on the D string at fret 3, pinky finger on the G string at fret 3 and middle finger on the B string at fret 2. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 3 | F (5) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 4 | B♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 2 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
IntermediateThe hardest part is holding the index barre across the A and high E strings while the middle, ring, and pinky fingers fret three separate notes.
6th fret
B♭ minor is played at the 6th fret as 6 8 8 6 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the A string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the D string at fret 8.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 3 | F (5) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 4 | B♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 6 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
13th fret
B♭ minor is played at the 13th fret as × 13 15 15 14 13: barre your index finger across fret 13, ring finger on the D string at fret 15, pinky finger on the G string at fret 15 and middle finger on the B string at fret 14. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 15 | 3 | F (5) |
| 3 (G) | 15 | 4 | B♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 14 | 2 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
B♭min/D♭ inversion · fret 2
B♭ minor is played at the 2nd fret as × 4 3 3 2 ×: pinky finger on the A string at fret 4, middle finger on the D string at fret 3, ring finger on the G string at fret 3 and index finger on the B string at fret 2. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 4 | 4 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 2 | F (5) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 3 | B♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 1 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
B♭min/D♭ inversion · fret 8
B♭ minor is played at the 8th fret as 9 8 8 10 × ×: ring finger on the low E string at fret 9, index finger on the A string at fret 8, middle finger on the D string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 10. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9 | 3 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 1 | F (5) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 2 | B♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 4 | F (5) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
B♭ minor is built from the root B♭, a minor third D♭, and a perfect fifth F. The ♭3 interval is what separates it from B♭ major, which raises that note to D. This single semitone change turns the chord from bright to dark.
What goes wrong with B♭ minor?
- Letting the index barre lift off the high E string, which mutes the top note.
- Strumming the low E string, which is not a chord tone and sounds dissonant.
- Allowing the ring and pinky fingers to collapse and mute the adjacent strings.
When to use it
B♭ minor suits jazz, R&B, and any progression that needs a dark, brooding color. Pair it with C♯ major and F♯ major for the I–vi–IV–V loop.
Changing to and from B♭ minor
- Slide the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret to play B minor.
- Move to F minor by shifting the barre to the 1st fret and changing the fretted notes to 3-3-1-1-1.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret barre shape gives the root B♭ in the bass and is the standard voicing. The 6th fret barre repeats the same shape an octave higher, while the B♭min/D♭ inversion puts D♭ in the bass for a less stable sound.
Other B♭ chords
Common questions
How is B♭ minor written?
B♭ minor is written B♭m, B♭min, B♭−, or B♭mi. The ASCII root is Bb. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between B♭ minor and B♭ major?
B♭ minor lowers the third from D to D♭. That single note changes the chord from major to minor and gives it a sadder quality.
Why is the low E string muted in the B♭ minor shape?
The low E is not a chord tone, so muting it prevents a dissonant note from ringing. It also keeps the bass note as B♭.
Can B♭ minor be played without a barre?
Yes, the B♭min/D♭ inversion at the 4th fret uses no barre. But it puts D♭ in the bass and is less common as a root-position chord.