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 C 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 D♯ and F♯ are black keys and B♯ is white, the key you'd normally call C. 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 8: 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♯
Play B♯ Diminished on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
B♯ Diminished chord notes
Also known as C Diminished
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♯(B#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | D♯(D#) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | F♯(F#) |
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♯ Major
C♯ · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯
C♯ Harmonic Minor
C♯ · D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B♯
C♯ Melodic Minor
C♯ · D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯
C♯ Harmonic Major
C♯ · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A · B♯
E Lydian Augmented
E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯ · D♯
F♯ Lydian
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯ · D♯ · E♯
F♯ Lydian Augmented
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪 · D♯ · E♯
F♯ Lydian Dominant
F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯ · D♯ · E
D♯ Melodic Minor
D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪
D♯ Dorian
D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯
D♯ Neapolitan Major
D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C𝄪
E♯ Phrygian
E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A♯ · B♯ · C♯ · D♯
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the B♯ Diminished chord?
- The B♯ Diminished chord contains B♯, D♯ and F♯ (B#, D# and F# 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 D♯ and F♯ are black keys and B♯ is white, the key you'd normally call C.
- How do you play B♯ Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 8: 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 C Diminished. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.