Piano chord · Triads
B♭ diminished chord on piano
Right hand: B♭ (1), D♭ (3), F♭ (5)
How to play B♭dim on piano: the keys to press, which fingers to use, inversions and how it’s written on the staff.
Tense and unstable — it usually wants to resolve up by a half step.
B♭dim is the vii° chord in B major. In minor keys: ii° in G♯ minor.
- Notes
- B♭D♭F♭
- Formula
- 1♭3♭5
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · diminished 5th
Piano
Root position · numbers are finger numbers
How to play it
Right handB♭1 · thumbD♭3 · middleF♭5 · pinky
Left handB♭5 · pinkythe root, an octave lower
Finger numbers: 1 thumb · 2 index · 3 middle · 4 ring · 5 pinky. Inversions use the same notes with a different one on the bottom — they help you move smoothly between chords. Tap any key to hear it.
Tips for playing B♭dim on piano
On piano, B♭dim has two black keys (B♭ and D♭) and one white key.
Notice the F♭ in B♭dim (B♭ D♭ F♭): each note of the chord takes its own letter (B–D–F), so the diminished 5th has to be written F♭ rather than E — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
