B♭ minor chord on ukulele (B♭m)

B♭m is B♭, D♭ and F. The usual shape is 3-1-1-1. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

3-1-1-1 · movable · medium

Notes: B♭ · D♭ · F
Formula: 1 · ♭3 · 5
First shape: 3-1-1-1

How to play B♭m on ukulele

Shape 1, 3-1-1-1, reading from the G string on the left:

Put your index finger on the C string at the 1st fret, which is D♭.
Put your middle finger on the E string at the 1st fret, which is F.
Put your ring finger on the A string at the 1st fret, which is B♭.
Put your pinky finger on the G string at the 3rd fret, which is B♭.

Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.
Strum with the pad of your index finger or thumb, all four strings, across the spot where the neck meets the body.

Other ways to play B♭m

6-5-6-4: movable shape at the 4th fret, medium. A different set of strings gives a different color of the same chord.
10-10-9-8: movable shape at the 8th fret, medium. Up the neck the chord gets thinner and brighter, a good contrast to the open version.

Capo shortcuts for B♭m

A capo turns an open chord into B♭m: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Am shape (2-0-0-0) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open Em shape (0-4-3-2). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Moving between B♭m and its neighbours

Songs rarely hold B♭m for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

E♭ (V in A♭ major): B♭m (3-1-1-1) to E♭ (0-3-3-1): move the index finger to the A string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the C string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the E string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Shared note: B♭. E♭ on ukulele
C♯ (IV in A♭ major): B♭m (3-1-1-1) to C♯ (6-5-4-4): your index finger lands on the E string, 4th fret, your middle finger lands on the A string, 4th fret, the ring finger goes to the C string, 5th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. D♭ and F carry over from one chord to the other. C♯ on ukulele
A♭ (I in A♭ major): B♭m (3-1-1-1) to A♭ (1-3-4-3): the index finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, your middle finger lands on the C string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. A♭ on ukulele

B♭m is a minor triad. All 3 notes of B♭m fit on the ukulele's four strings, with one of them doubled. Play it once strummed and once picked to hear the difference.

Practice B♭m in two minutes

Before strumming, play 3-1-1-1 note by note: B♭ then D♭ then F then B♭. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Next, alternate 3-1-1-1 and 6-5-6-4, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

A♯m is another spelling of B♭m. Same shape, same sound.

B♭m in context

In B♭ minor, i–VI–III–VII on ukulele is B♭m (3-1-1-1), F♯ (3-1-2-1), C♯ (6-5-4-4) and A♭ (1-3-4-3). About the minor anthem.

In B♭ minor, i–iv–V on ukulele is B♭m (3-1-1-1), E♭m (3-3-2-1) and F (2-0-1-0). About the minor cadence.

In B♭ minor, i–VII–VI–V on ukulele is B♭m (3-1-1-1), A♭ (1-3-4-3), F♯ (3-1-2-1) and F (2-0-1-0). About the Andalusian cadence.

B♭m on guitar and piano

Switching instruments? Try B♭m on piano or B♭m on guitar, or compare them on the B♭m chord page.

Next to try on ukulele

Other minor chords

B♭m on ukulele: questions

What notes are in B♭m on ukulele?

B♭, D♭ and F. In the 3-1-1-1 shape the strings play B♭ (G string), D♭ (C string), F (E string) and B♭ (A string), so B♭ is doubled.

What's the easiest way to play B♭m on ukulele?

B♭m has no open-string shape in standard tuning, so every version needs a barre or a stretch. Start with 3-1-1-1. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo is worth trying when the song allows.

Is B♭m a barre chord on ukulele?

Not in its common form: 3-1-1-1 needs no barre.

Which string does B♭m start on?

In the 3-1-1-1 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 3rd fret, which is B♭, the root.

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes B♭, D♭ and F and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.