B♭ major chord (B♭)
B♭ is B♭, D and F: 1–3–5 built on B♭. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
x-1-3-3-3-1 · barre · hard
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- First shape
- x-1-3-3-3-1
B♭ on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · B♭–D–F · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
B♭ on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
3-2-1-1 · movable · medium
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- First shape
- 3-2-1-1
B♭ and the chords around it
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- B♭ → E♭ (IV in B♭ major)
Guitar: B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): the index finger goes to the D string, 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, your ring finger lands on the high E string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. B♭ carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: B♭ to E♭: play E♭ in 2nd inversion (B♭–E♭–G) and B♭ stays under the same finger, while D moves up to E♭ and F up to G. E♭ - B♭ → F (V in B♭ major)
Guitar: B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1) to F (1-3-3-2-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared note: F.
Piano: B♭ to F: play F in 1st inversion (A–C–F) and F stays under the same finger, while B♭ moves down to A and D down to C. F - B♭ → Gm (vi in B♭ major)
Guitar: B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1) to Gm (3-5-5-3-3-3): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 3rd fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 5th fret, your ring finger lands on the D string, 5th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Listen for B♭ and D, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: B♭ to Gm: play Gm in 1st inversion (B♭–D–G) and B♭ and D stay under the same fingers, while F moves up to G. Gm
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, A shape; capo 3, G shape; capo 6, E shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, A shape; capo 3, G shape; capo 5, F shape; capo 6, E shape.
How B♭ is built
B♭ has the stable, upbeat sound of every major triad. Play it after a minor chord and you'll hear the light come back in.
Start on B♭, count 4 half steps up to D then 3 half steps up to F. You may also see it as A♯: same keys, same frets.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | root | 0 | |
| D | major third | 4 | |
| F | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with B♭
You'll find B♭ as I in B♭ major, IV in F major and V in E♭ major. On the minor side it's III in G minor, V in E♭ minor (borrowing the raised 7th), VI in D minor and VII in C minor.
B♭ – F – Gm – E♭: that's I–V–vi–IV in the key of B♭ major. the pop progression
In B♭ major, I–IV–V is B♭ – E♭ – F – B♭. the three-chord progression
I–vi–IV–V in B♭ major runs B♭ – Gm – E♭ – F. the 50s progression
Play vi–IV–I–V in B♭ major and you get Gm – E♭ – B♭ – F. the minor-feel pop loop
Chords close to B♭
- B♭ and B♭m differ by one note: D in B♭, D♭ in B♭m. They share B♭ and F. B♭m
- B♭ and Gm differ by one note: F in B♭, G in Gm. They share B♭ and D. Gm
Chords that share most of their notes with B♭: Gm7, B♭7, B♭maj7, B♭add9, B♭6, B♭9.
Every B♭ chord
B♭ major chord: questions
What notes are in the B♭ major chord?
B♭, D and F. B♭ is built 1–3–5 from B♭: D is the major third and F is the perfect fifth.
How do you play B♭ on guitar?
The usual shape is x-1-3-3-3-1 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play B♭ on piano?
Play B♭, D and F with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. B♭ sits on the last black key of the group of three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play B♭ on ukulele?
3-2-1-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is B♭ in?
You'll find B♭ as I in B♭ major, IV in F major and V in E♭ major. On the minor side it's III in G minor, V in E♭ minor (borrowing the raised 7th), VI in D minor and VII in C minor.
What's the difference between B♭ and B♭m?
B♭ and B♭m differ by one note: D in B♭, D♭ in B♭m. They share B♭ and F.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.