B Minor Chord

The B minor chord (Bm) contains B, D and F♯. Find the black key F♯, check the three notes, and try a one-hand or two-hand way to play the complete chord.

B minor: Bm
Chord tones: BDF♯
Formula: 1♭35

Position

Root positionFirst inversionSecond inversion

Notes from low to high

B3D4F♯4

Bass: B3

Simple reference tone; not a recording of an acoustic piano.

Numbers after note letters identify octaves, not fingers. C4 is middle C.

Find the black key

B Minor Chord: Find B, D and F♯

Read all three note names before pressing the keys. In the root-position example, B3 is just below middle C, D4 is above it and F♯4 is the black key between F4 and G4. The sharp sign belongs to F.

Locate F♯ Between F and G

B and D are white keys, but the top note in this example is black. Find F first, then move to the black key immediately to its right. Play B, D and F♯ separately before sounding them together, and match each highlighted key to its name.

How the B Minor Chord Is Built

The formula is 1–♭3–5. B is the root, D is the minor third and F♯ is the perfect fifth. Measured upward from B, the three tones lie at 0, 3 and 7 semitones. The formula describes intervals; it is not a list of finger numbers.

Check one note at a time

Check Bm: F♯ or F, D or D♯?

Two different note checks help here. If B and D stay fixed, replacing F♯ with F produces B diminished, not B minor. If B and F♯ stay fixed, replacing D with D♯ produces B major.

Selected B–D–F?

Keep B and D. Move F to F♯.

F F♯

Selected B–D♯–F♯?

Keep B and F♯. Move D♯ to D.

D♯ D

Interactive practice

Build Bm on the Keyboard

Select the three pitch classes that make B minor, then check your answer.

This one-octave exercise checks pitch classes. Order and octave do not affect the result; fingering and live performance are not assessed.

3Choose three pitch classes

One octave, C through B. Select a key again to remove it.

Selected: none

Choose notes, then check your answer.

Show the non-interactive answer

Bm uses the pitch classes B, D, F♯. JavaScript is required to select keys and receive feedback.

Correct One Note at a Time

Select B, D and F, then check the result. The feedback identifies missing F♯ and extra F. Remove F and choose the neighboring black key F♯ instead. This is a change to one selected key, not a reason to rebuild everything from the beginning.

Check the Third as Well as the Fifth

Once F♯ is correct, make sure the middle note is D natural. A sharp on the wrong note changes the chord. The complete B minor chord keeps the set B, D and F♯ even when its note order or octave changes.

Compare the B major chordB major keeps B and F♯ but changes D to D♯.

Choose a hand arrangement

Try Bm with One Hand or Two

For the exact root-position example B3–D4–F♯4, try right-hand fingers 1–3–5: thumb on B, middle finger on D and little finger on F♯. As a separate left-hand example, try 5–3–1 from the lowest note to the highest.

Suggested fingers for B3–D4–F♯4 · low to high
Note	Right hand	Left hand
B3	1	5
D4	3	3
F♯4	5	1

1 = thumb; 2 = index; 3 = middle; 4 = ring; 5 = little finger. The numbering is the same for both hands.

Try each hand separately. These numbers apply to this root-position example; the inversion diagrams below show notes without assigning fingers.

About these finger examples

Try these as separate one-hand examples. They are starting suggestions for the exact notes shown, not a required hand shape. Hand size and the notes before and after the chord may call for a different choice.

Source: Piano Chord’s Bm fingering reference. The source supplies the root-position hand numbers. PianoGrid places those notes in the octave shown here; the practice patterns are PianoGrid examples.

The same notes with two hands

Left hand: B3
Right hand: D4–F♯4

Keep B3 below the other two notes. Play all three together to hear the complete B minor chord.

Keep All Three Chord Tones

You can also divide this same voicing between your hands: play B3 with the left hand, and D4 plus F♯4 with the right. B remains the lowest note and all three chord tones remain present. This changes the hand assignment, not the identity of the chord.

A Starting Example, Not a Required Shape

Try one hand at a time before combining the tones. The numbered example is a suggestion for these notes in this register. Your hand size and the surrounding music may suggest a different fingering. Use the two-hand version to explore the same sound without treating it as a different chord.

Read left- and right-hand finger numbersCheck the numbering before following a hand example.

Bm/D and Bm/F♯: Read the Bass Note

The three reference positions all use B, D and F♯. Root position starts on B; Bm/D starts on D; Bm/F♯ starts on F♯. Select each position and compare its low-to-high note list with the marked keys.

One reference voicing for each position. The highlighted row follows the keyboard above.
Position	Symbol	Notes, low to high	Bass
Root position, current selection	Bm	B3–D4–F♯4	B3
First inversion	Bm/D	D4–F♯4–B4	D4
Second inversion	Bm/F♯	F♯3–B3–D4	F♯3

These reference examples use selected registers. Switching positions can move down as well as up; the lowest chord tone identifies the inversion.

A Different Bass, the Same Chord

The note after the slash names the bass. Bm/D is not a D major chord: B is still present and the chord remains B minor. Likewise, Bm/F♯ keeps D natural. The bass label helps distinguish the voicings without asking you to memorize a new chord-tone set.

Read the Octave Numbers Separately

The examples use selected registers, so switching positions can move downward as well as upward. That does not change which inversion is shown. Use the lowest sounding chord tone to identify the inversion; do not infer it from the direction the diagram moved.

A short routine

A Short B Minor Chord Practice Routine

Separate finding the notes from playing them together. Begin with the note checker, then use the reference diagram or your own keyboard to try the steps below. A completed check only confirms the keys chosen on the page.

Find B, D and F♯ without revealing the answer.
Say each name while playing the notes separately.
Sound the three notes together, using one hand or two.
Select Bm/D above. Find D as the lowest note.

Find, Play Separately, Then Play Together

Find B, D and F♯ without the answer open. Play each tone once while saying its name. Next sound all three together with one hand, or use B in the left hand and D–F♯ in the right. Finally, select Bm/D and identify D as the new bass.

Return to the Specific Wrong Note

If the checker reports an extra F, correct F to F♯. If it reports an extra D♯, return to D natural. Read the full feedback rather than guessing from whether the sound feels familiar. The page does not assess your timing, hand movement or a recording from a real piano.

Keep learning

Bm Questions and Related Piano Chords

Keep a distinction between a complete chord and a partial practice shape. Playing only B and F♯ leaves out D, the third that helps identify the minor quality. Playing only D and F♯ leaves out the root. Those note pairs may be useful steps, but this reference teaches the complete B–D–F♯ triad.

Is a Two-Note Shape Still the Full Bm Chord?

Not by itself. A musical arrangement can distribute chord tones among different parts, but the three-note example here does not assume another instrument supplies a missing note. The suggested two-hand version keeps B, D and F♯ sounding as the complete chord.

Chord, Scale and Next Practice

A B minor chord names these three pitch classes. A B minor scale has its own sequence of notes and belongs on the scale page. For practical use, open the chord-progression tool and examine one change at a time. Print the current position or keep the downloadable B minor reference beside the keyboard.

Compare B minor scale notesRead the complete scale separately from the Bm triad.
Practice piano chord progressionsChoose a pattern and key in the progression tool.

Quick answers

What notes are in the B minor chord?

B, D and F♯. Bm is the usual chord symbol; the root-position example here is B3–D4–F♯4.

What is the formula for B minor?

1–♭3–5: the root B, minor third D and perfect fifth F♯.

Why does the checker reject B, D and F?

Bm requires F♯, not F. B–D–F is a B diminished triad. Replace F with the black key immediately to its right.

Does changing the inversion make it a different chord?

No. Bm/D and Bm/F♯ keep B, D and F♯. Only the bass and arrangement of the chord tones change.

Can I play Bm with two hands?

Yes. For the example shown, put B3 in the left hand and D4 plus F♯4 in the right. All three notes remain in the chord.

Is Bm the same as B major?

No. Bm uses D natural; B major uses D♯. Both include B and F♯.

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