As the leading-tone chordC♭ major
- vii°B♭°
- IC♭
Every note pulls inward into C♭ by a semitone or a tone. This is the chord's primary function.
B♭ Diminished Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B♭ Diminished chord is built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, D♭ and F♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♯ Diminished.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- Notes
- B♭ · D♭ · F♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Note
- B♭
- Quality
- Diminished
- Symbol
- B♭°
B♭ Diminished on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play B♭ Diminished on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B♭, middle finger on D♭ and little finger on F♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard B♭ and D♭ are black keys and F♭ is white, the key you'd normally call E. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- B♭1
- D♭♭3
- F♭♭5
B♭ Diminished on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B♭ Diminished is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 6: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 2 and 1.
B♭ · D♭ · F♭
Try B♭ Diminished on the virtual piano
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B♭ Diminished chord notes
Also known as A♯ Diminished
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♭(Bb) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | D♭(Db) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | F♭(Fb) |
How to use the B♭ Diminished chord
The B♭ Diminished chord is built from a root, a minor third and a diminished fifth. Start at the root B♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: B♭, D♭ and F♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Diminished chords are passing tools in classical, jazz, bluegrass and film music. They're often used as vii° leading to the tonic or as chromatic passing chords between diatonic chords.
In major keys B♭° is the vii° in C♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in A♭ minor.
How B♭ Diminished differs from similar chords
B♭° is B♭m with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get B♭m7♭5, add a diminished seventh and you get the fully symmetrical B♭°7. On its own it is the leading-tone chord (vii°) of the major key a half step up.
Where B♭ Diminished is used
A diminished chord is a tension chord. It works as the leading-tone chord of a key, and as a dominant seventh with its root left out.
Scales that contain B♭°
These scales include B♭° as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Altered
C · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭
E♭ Phrygian
E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Phrygian Dominant
E♭ · F♭ · G · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
A♭ Natural Minor
A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭
A♭ Harmonic Minor
A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G
A♭ Aeolian
A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭
A♭ Harmonic Major
A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G
A♭ Hindu
A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭
A♭ Arabian
A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E𝄫 · F♭ · G♭
B♭ Locrian
B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭
B♭ Altered
B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E𝄫 · F♭ · G♭ · A♭
G♭ Mixolydian
G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F♭
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the B♭ Diminished chord?
- The B♭ Diminished chord contains B♭, D♭ and F♭ (Bb, Db and Fb in plain text).
- Is the B♭ Diminished chord major or minor?
- B♭ Diminished is a diminished chord. Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- What key is the B♭ Diminished chord in?
- In major keys B♭° is the vii° in C♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in A♭ minor.
- How do you play B♭ Diminished on piano?
- Place your fingers on B♭, D♭ and F♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard B♭ and D♭ are black keys and F♭ is white, the key you'd normally call E. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play B♭ Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 6: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 2 and 1.
- What is another name for the B♭ Diminished chord?
- B♭ Diminished is enharmonically equivalent to A♯ Diminished. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.