B Minor
Reviewed for accuracy · Last updated June 2026 · Maintained by Justin Evans
Practice B Minor
Reading about it is one thing. Drilling it is what makes it automatic.
Introduction
The B Minor chord is a three-note chord made up of B, D, and F♯. It is built from a root, minor third, and perfect fifth.
Notes
How to Play the B Minor
Right Hand (RH)
Place your right hand over the keys with the thumb on the root. Use the fingering: 1 – 3 – 5
Left Hand (LH)
For the left hand, start with your pinky on the root. Use the fingering: 5 – 3 – 1
B Minor Inversions
| Position | Notes |
|---|---|
| Root Position | B – D – F♯ |
| 1st Inversion | D – F♯ – B |
| 2nd Inversion | F♯ – B – D |
Key Signature
A chord has no key signature of its own, but the B Minor is the tonic (i) chord of B Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, D Major — 2 sharps (F♯, C♯).
Order of sharps
Sharps are added to a key signature in a fixed order. Each new sharp key adds the next sharp on the list.
Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
Chords in the Key of B Minor
These are the triads built on each degree of the B minor scale:
Common B Minor Progressions
Pick a progression and press play. Change the key to hear it anywhere — every chord is built from the same theory as the chord pages, so the notes always agree.
The epic minor loop — cinematic and driving, heard across pop, rock and film scores.
Theory: Intervals
The B Minor is built by stacking intervals from the root note. The formula R-m3-P5 describes the scale degrees used. The intervals P1-m3-P5 show the distance between each note in the chord.
B Minor — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the B Minor chord on piano?
What notes make up the B Minor chord?
What fingering do I use for B Minor?
What are the inversions of B Minor?
What songs use the B Minor chord?
What chords pair well with B Minor?
How does B Minor relate to D Major?
Practice Tips
- Locate F# first — it is the black key between F and G. Let your pinky arch up to it while fingers 1 and 3 stay on B and D.
- Practice Bm → G → D → A as a loop — this is one of the most commercially successful chord progressions ever recorded.
- Compare Bm and B Major: only D vs D# changes but the mood shift is stark — practice switching to hear the contrast.
- Work inversions: B–D–F# (root), D–F#–B (1st), F#–B–D (2nd) — 1st inversion is particularly common in D Major progressions.
- Practice Bm → F# → G → A (i–V–VI–VII) — a common dark-to-hopeful progression in minor key pop and folk.
Related Tools
References & Further Reading
How this chord page is sourced & verified
The note names, intervals, fingering, and harmony on this page are drawn from the established body of Western music theory and verified against the conventions below — the same fundamentals taught in conservatories and music programs. We list categories of source material rather than individual titles, and reference the standards themselves rather than any single edition.
- Standard music theory texts — Widely taught fundamentals of pitch, rhythm, and notation.
- Western tonal harmony conventions — Established rules for chord construction, voice leading, and key relationships.
- Interval and chord construction standards — The conventional spelling of intervals, triads, sevenths, and extensions.
- Scale and mode theory — The common derivation of major, minor, pentatonic, blues, and modal scales.
- Piano pedagogy and technique references — Long-standing practices for fingering, hand position, and practice.
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