B♭ diminished chord on piano (B♭dim)
B♭dim is B♭, D♭ and F♭. B♭ sits on the last black key of the group of three. Tap Play, then slow it down.
root position · B♭–D♭–F♭ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- B♭ · D♭ · F♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
How to play B♭dim on piano
Start on B♭, count 3 half steps up to D♭ then 3 half steps up to F♭. Press the 3 keys together and that's B♭dim.
- Right hand: 1 on B♭, 3 on D♭ and 5 on F♭.
- Left hand: 5 on B♭, 3 on D♭ and 1 on F♭.
- On the keyboard it's black, black and white keys, the same pattern as D♯dim, so your hand shape carries over.
B♭dim inversions
- root position: B♭–D♭–F♭. RH 1-3-5.
- 1st inversion: D♭–F♭–B♭, with D♭ at the bottom. Right hand 1-2-5.
- 2nd inversion: F♭–B♭–D♭, with F♭ at the bottom. Fingers 1-3-5.
Inversions keep the same notes and change which one is lowest. Moving between chords, pick the inversion that keeps your hand closest to where it already is.
Moving between B♭dim and its neighbours
The chords B♭dim usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.
- B (leads up a half step): B♭dim to B: play B in root position (B–D♯–F♯), while B♭ moves up to B, D♭ up to D♯ and F♭ up to F♯. B on piano
- Bm (leads up a half step): B♭dim to Bm: play Bm in root position (B–D–F♯), while B♭ moves up to B, D♭ up to D and F♭ up to F♯. Bm on piano
- E♭m (iii in B major): B♭dim to E♭m: play E♭m 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♭m on piano
B♭dim is a diminished triad: two minor thirds stacked. B♭dim rarely stays long; it's a passing chord that usually climbs a half step to the next chord. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Practice B♭dim in two minutes
Start with a broken chord, B♭ D♭ F♭ D♭ B♭, then play it solid. Finish with the inversions in order: B♭–D♭–F♭; D♭–F♭–B♭; F♭–B♭–D♭.
The keys of B♭dim
B♭dim is a diminished chord, 1–♭3–♭5 from B♭. Root position, from the bottom: how B♭dim is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| D♭ | black key | RH 3 · LH 3 | minor third |
| F♭ | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | diminished fifth |
A♯dim is another spelling of B♭dim. Same keys, same sound.
Where B♭dim shows up
B♭dim on guitar and ukulele
B♭dim on guitar and ukulele uses the same 3 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Next to try on piano
Other diminished chords
B♭dim on piano: questions
What notes are in B♭dim on piano?
B♭, D♭ and F♭: B♭ (black key), D♭ (black key) and F♭ (white key). Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1.
How do you play B♭dim on piano?
Press B♭, D♭ and F♭ together (2 black, 1 white). Right hand: 1 on B♭, 3 on D♭ and 5 on F♭.
What are the inversions of B♭dim?
1st inversion (D♭–F♭–B♭) and 2nd inversion (F♭–B♭–D♭), after root position (B♭–D♭–F♭). Each keeps all the notes of the chord.
What does B♭dim look like on the keyboard?
black, black and white keys, the same pattern as D♯dim, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Every shape above plays only B♭, D♭ and F♭, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.