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Tense

B Diminished

B · D · F

Bdim4213

Shape 1 · difficulty 7/10

CC#DEbEFF#GG#ABbB
MajorMinorDominant 7thMinor 7thDiminished
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About the Bdim chord

Bdim is a B diminished chord built from B, D, F. Tense and unstable: a passing chord that pulls strongly toward resolution.

Root

B

Quality

Diminished

Chord tones

B D F

Shapes

1 · advanced

Notes & intervals

Every diminished chord stacks the same intervals on its root. In Bdim, that gives you:

B

root1

Home base. The root names the chord, and every other note is measured from it.

D

minor third♭3

The minor third is where the melancholy lives: it turns the chord dark and tender.

F

diminished fifth♭5

A restless, shadowy interval: it makes the chord tense and unstable.

Bdim sits in the key of C major.

Used in genres

Diminished chords show up all over the progression catalog, most of all in these styles:

PopRockClassics

Character & mood

TenseTense and unstable: a passing chord that pulls strongly toward resolution.

Find another chord

Popular chords

ACGDFAmEmDm

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Bdim on ukulele?

The first shape is the easiest voicing: 4 fretted strings and 0 open strings. Put your pinky finger on the 4th fret of the G string. Put your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the C string. Put your index finger on the 1st fret of the E string. Put your ring finger on the 2nd fret of the A string. Strum all four strings and check each one rings cleanly.

What notes are in a Bdim chord?

Bdim is B, D, F. That is a diminished triad (root, minor third, diminished fifth). Play them in any order and you still get Bdim. Bdim sits in the key of C major.

What makes Bdim a diminished chord?

Tense and unstable: a passing chord that pulls strongly toward resolution. Chord quality is the interval pattern above the root. That pattern is what you hear as diminished.

What songs use the Bdim chord?

Songs that use Bdim include Smooth Criminal, and What Is Life.

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