B Minor
Notes:B – D – F#
Fingerings1 – 3 – 5
Formula:R-m3-P5
Intervals:P1-m3-P5
Scale Degrees:1-b3-5
Introduction
The B minor piano chord is a minor triad built on B and consists of three notes: B, D, and F#. It comes from the B Minor scale (B, C#, D, E, F#, G, and A) and is formed using the 1st, 3rd, and 5th scale degrees. The B Minor chord contains two sharps. Like all minor chords, it has a darker, more introspective sound created by the interval structure of a minor third (3 semitones) and a perfect fifth (7 semitones) above the root.
Notes
How to Play the B Minor
Right Hand (RH)
Place your right hand over the keys and use the fingering: 1 – 3 – 5
Left Hand (LH)
For the left hand, use the fingering: 5 – 3 – 1
B Minor Inversions
| Position | Notes |
|---|---|
| Root Position | B4 – D5 – F#5 |
| 1st Inversion | D4 – F#4 – B4 |
| 2nd Inversion | F#4 – B4 – D5 |
Key Signature
The key of B Minor has 2 sharps: F♯, C♯.
F♯C♯
Theory: Intervals
Formula: R-m3-P5
Intervals: P1-m3-P5
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 notes make up the B Minor chord?
B Minor contains three notes: B (root), D (minor third), and F# (perfect fifth). F# is a black key, making B Minor slightly more challenging than all-white-key minor chords but still comfortable once located.
What fingering do I use for B Minor?
Right hand: finger 1 on B, finger 3 on D, finger 5 on F#. Left hand: finger 5 on B, finger 3 on D, finger 1 on F#. Finger 5 (right hand) reaches up to the black key F# while 1 and 3 rest on white keys.
What are the inversions of B Minor?
First inversion (Bm/D): D–F#–B. Second inversion (Bm/F#): F#–B–D. Bm/D is very common in D Major pieces — it creates a smooth bass motion between D Major and B Minor since D is shared.
What songs use the B Minor chord?
B Minor appears in Wonderwall (Oasis, adapted), Fast Car (Tracy Chapman), Hotel California (Eagles, in the Bm section), and is the vi chord in D Major — meaning it appears in nearly every song in D. Many Baroque pieces by Bach use B Minor extensively.
What chords pair well with B Minor?
In B Minor: G Major (VI), D Major (III), A Major (VII), F# Major (V). Bm–G–D–A is one of the most common pop four-chord sequences. Bm–A–G–F# (i–VII–VI–V) is a classic descending minor pattern.
How does B Minor relate to D Major?
B Minor is the relative minor of D Major — both share the key signature of two sharps (F# and C#). This means songs in D Major often dip into Bm naturally (it is the vi chord), and pieces in B Minor can borrow D Major as the III chord without modulation.
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.